A pleasure,

shining so bright,

glowing behind your sweet, sweet eyes.

To follow the very heart,

that is encased within you.

To pursue a life of satisfaction,

of delight and thrill.

To experience beyond borders,

and look further from what is shown in photographs;

to breathe the foreign air,

and touch those with your smile

that is still so gracious and soft.

Even through times of misery and pain,

limitations and hurt,

and though your heart still sinks at the thought,

and tears still flood to your eyes,

your resilience and strength is held close,

never to be taken again,

always to be favoured and not to be forgotten.

Your independence and liberty,

to fight for what’s yours,

and stand against what is bitter and askew,

is a feature they all crave to have to own.

Though heart and mind fight,

with time, you found that you must follow your desire,

with pleasure and no fear.

---

 

~ This poem is dedicated to Jean H. as her story was a true inspiration to us. She showed us a sense of women empowerment as she did not feel the need to depend on a man. She solely dedicated her life to pursuing her own happiness, which we really resonated with. While hearing her story, we felt as if we were talking to a real-life princess but not one normally seen on Disney but one that was more relatable to the younger generation. I wrote this little snippet when I was listening to her talk but was unable to come up with anything and I wanted her to be able to read it. In this fairy tale life – what some may call it – the princess was unlike any other but her dream was not. Her desire to travel the entire world had overshadowed the stereotype of being pursued by a prince. Her name was Jean H.

With gratitude,

Zainab and Meghna