Once upon a time....I should have listened to my father

Once upon a time I should have listened to him speak. 

Once upon a time he tried to teach me to love myself

But once upon a time, all I wanted was to have feet. 

 

Not a woman, not a girl, when I was fifteen years old.

The youngest of seven 

Watching my sisters meet their mates

And become as starry eyed as if they'd seen the heavens. 

 

Gosh how I wanted that love

Of what I assumed had been sent from above.

I wanted to be like my sisters

(At least like those that had misters).

 

But my father told me I was too young

(So I assumed he was trying to stifle my fun).

I was a budding romantic!

But that wasn't what was making him frantic...

 

My father saw something in me,

Or more of a lack.

That I hadn't noticed myself

And that was a fact.

 

I was young, I was niave

And it made me seek love outside of the deep blue seas.

But what I didn't understand was self-love...

Because self-love comes before any man.

 

So when I met Erik

I thought he was the one.

So I swam away from home

And traded my fins for legs so that we could be one. 

 

But I was wrong.

And that came to light

When Erik married another woman

And I realized how much daddy was right. 

 

My escapade served as a lesson

That self-love needs to come before any amorous affection.

That if I had loved myself like daddy had said,

That there wouldn't have been any chance where I could have been dead.

 

I survived the ordeal.

And now I sing to you my Melody

That self-love is paramount

And that once upon a time mommy realized her dad's wisdom.

 

Because once upon a time my Melody, I was niave

Once upon Melody, I didn't believe 

That once upon a time I would learn a harsh lesson from love

And once upon a time learn that self-love is the biggest gift from the heavens above. 

 

Now I teach this lesson to you, my daughter

This lesson of self-love.

An important lesson to all young girls

Seeking their happiness in others, in "the one"

 

 

You are fifteen, 

Not woman, not child.

But remember to first learn to love yourself

Before you want to obtain the love of others. 

 

May you obtain a happily "once upon a time" and "happily ever after",

With love,

Your mother, 

Ariel