Once upon a time
there was a Princess-Prince.
A maiden who kissed
maiden lips.
Their armor shined
wherever they went.
Hardened softness—
that was the Princess-Prince

Our Princess-Prince rode a horse
a basic steed—nothing more
Just one to be sure
that they returned home safe

For the life of Princess-Prince is tough
glaring eyes and lungs that huff
voices rumble, feet that kick
and step upon their toes

The kingdom is angered
for no one really knows
is the Princess-Prince
a princess or a prince
underneath their clothes.

Destine Carrington (she/her) is a queer, black woman living in North Carolina because she enjoys challenges. Other things she enjoys include but are not limited to: burgers, brownies, and Batman. Her work has also appeared in Black from the Future: A Collection of Black Speculative Writing, Rigorous Magazine, Serendipity Literary Magazine, Jokes Review, Drunk Monkeys Literary Magazine, and Five2One Literary Magazine’s thesideshow.