A palace of sugar, a Queen of sweet smiles,
A kingdom of kindness in elegant styles.
The air smells of jam, the banners all wave,
And no one can scowl, or else they’re not brave.
“Be happy! Be happy!” the Queen sweetly cries,
But the smiles are stretched masks above terrified eyes.
The hedgehogs in armour stand ready to roll,
To correct a sad face, or a sigh from the soul.
A servant is caught with a look of dismay,
And whisked to a chamber and tickled away.
Alice forces a grin, though her insides are numb,
For kindness has turned into a prison of glum.
She longs for a world where a frown’s not a crime,
Where being yourself isn’t squandered on time.
For a smile that is real is a treasure, you see,
But a forced, frozen one is a form of cruelty.
The Crazymad Writer Writes Again 