Megan Plummer
This poem is a short and simple feminist poem about female empowerment. It is written in a child-friendly way and addressed towards little girls in the hopes that they will grow up with the belief that they can be powerful and succeed. The “dragons” mentioned are a metaphor for anything that may prevent a girl from reaching her true potential, be it societal standards, sexism or insecurities; and the poem is about encouraging girls to break free from and defy these things so that they may become who they wish to be, and not who the “dragons” wish for them to be. The poem also notes that girls must support one another in order to do this.
When the dragons come for you –
Run wild and don’t stop running.
Set your Rapunzel hair free and trip them up.
Scream at the top of your lungs
To the edge of the kingdom
Until all the other princesses
Trapped in all the other towers,
Can hear you
(and join you as your sisters).
When they spit fireballs at you –
Dodge them all with your glass slipper
And
Become The Beast
They don’t want you to become.
When they attempt to take chunks out of your
Skin with their claws
Let the roses in your hair become thorns
And
Let those dragons be sorry
That they ever stepped on your castle territory in the first place.
Maynooth Creative Writing Society 
I really like the idea in this poem that princess is not something bad, it can be powerful too. I think it’s dangerous the way mainstream YA is broadly categorizing “strong female character” as someone who is “good at fighting” and a “tomboy.” There is nothing inherently “weak” about “girly” traits like compassion and kindness and being princess. I loved this line: “(and join you as your sisters).” and “Become the Beast.” For the last line, I wonder if you could have said “That they ever set foot in your territory in the first place.” I love the message of the poem and the fantasy imagery. Great job.
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