True Love at Age Three

(for Ava)

In your book
of fairytales
with pictures,
the handsome prince
has impeccable timing,
whether planting
a kiss on the lips
of the sleeping princess
or rescuing her gold
ball from the bottom
of the royal pond
(albeit in frog form).
He is tall, clean,
well-dressed & groomed,
polite, refined,
independently wealthy,
available, and interested
in the happy-ever-after.

Maeve O’Sullivan’s poetry and haikai have been widely published, anthologized, awarded, and translated. She has five collections with Alba Publishing, the most recent being Wasp on the Prayer Flag (2021). Maeve leads workshops in haiku, and is a professional member of the Irish Writers’ Centre and the British Haiku Society.

www.maeveosullivan.com

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