I.
The porcelain princess
hides behind her starchild prince
who takes great care in keeping her polished
as though to make her shine like his stars

II.
“En garde, world!” she exclaimed
to her toy soldiers, with
glass rapier in hand in a wilted salute
to Her Majesty, which she called herself

III.
All it took was one push
lightly on the shoulder, above the collarbone
to tip the red queen over,
over her self-made empire of dirt,
crashing into a million wretched pieces

IV.
“It was an accident, I swear.”
The jury finds it to be innocent.
It was merely passing by at the time
without any motives, none at all.
So Truth lived on for another day

V
Her fragments were tessellations
puzzle-pieces meshing with the ash
she kept inside herself, like an urn;
an open secret (she spewed it as she spoke)

VI.
All the king’s horses
and all the king’s men
couldn’t put her back together again
because they couldn’t stop laughing