“Severance (Cinderella’s Evil Stepsister Cuts Off Her Toes)” by Kristine Nowak

220 Replies

The relationship between shoe and foot
became inverted—the shoe an absolute size, a fixed

boundary and my foot was soft and willing
to be changed. My toes would not fit in

that golden shoe no matter how I held my breath
and squeezed. But when my mother handed me a knife,

her face puckered with impatience, I thought this is not
what I imagined love would be—not his or hers or mine.

She says, but don’t cry out, the Prince is waiting right
outside the door, she smiles and adds, for his future wife.

And suddenly I see my toes spread out like a delicate
fan ribbed with tiny bones, the nails like pink seashells.

It’s time—you won’t need to walk
when you are Queen. My mother nods to the knife I hover

above my foot and clamps one hand over my mouth.
Afterwards, I squelch out smiling through the sticky

pain to meet my future husband in golden shoes
and to prove I am his bride.

-Kristine Nowak

220 thoughts on ““Severance (Cinderella’s Evil Stepsister Cuts Off Her Toes)” by Kristine Nowak”

  1. Sherry

    That is intense.

    Nice lines here:

    And suddenly I see my toes spread out like a delicate
    fan ribbed with tiny bones, the nails like pink seashells.

    Reply ↓
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