Princess El Poem by Charlotte Ballard

Princess El, once your favorite,
Lays sprawled with head turned away,
Glassy eyes wait for your coming.
Sweet dreams, Princess El.

Your life, so grown-up now.
No need for the baby doll that
Endured it all.
Crimped Hair, that you
Asked me to do, after we
Tried and failed to get
Out the gum spoiled in the sun.

Her complexion marred by ink pens
Drawn by fingers too tired to find
Another place where mama wouldn't yell
Clothed in the very same outfit that
I brought you home in.
Princess El, the same size as you, just a
Bit bigger, her toes reach all the way,
That you took 3 months to fill.

Let me kiss her fingers once, just as I
Once kissed yours. Let me nuzzle her
Belly, raspberry kiss, as I once did
Yours. You, too grown to care.

Sleep well, Princess El, My daughter
Will find that even a grown-up has need of a little
Comfort too.