Forever After

What happens when the book closes?
When the lights turn off?
What happens when the audience goes home?

I wonder what happens after Happily ever After.
I guess we will find out in the sequel, 'Ever After'.
Except, none of that is real.

Oh, Disney, how you have ruined me.
I want the white horse drawn carriage
That used to be a pumpkin.

I want to be the maid who turns into a princess,
The toad who turns into a prince.
I want the kiss under the moonlight.

I want the magic,
And the fireworks,
The 'love at first sight'.

I don't know if I am prepared
For what comes after,
For everyday humdrum life.

Thank you Disney,
For inflating my expectations,
That I won't even recognize normal when I see it.

I'll bet the next morning,
Cinderella and the Prince woke up
Bleary eyed and disoriented.

Maybe they had cereal for breakfast,
As they eyed each other,
Two strangers wondering what just happened.

That magic fairy dust wears off,
And Happily Ever After
Turns sour pretty quickly.

Ever After is codename for Reality.
It hits hard when you are not expecting it.
Because you started out starstruck.

Don't look for a fairy tale,
And your 'Once Upon a Time', and 'Happily Ever After'
may just happen for you.

Look closely,
Because it will be disguised as
Boring 'ole Reality.