To Princess Evelyn the Bold on Her Second Birthday

To Princess Evelyn the Bold on Her Second Birthday

Greetings from us
Your loyal subjects

Historically, princesses are often known

To grow somewhat difficult

In their second year

Princess Morgana the Loud would frequently scream

In a manner so boisterous

You could hear her three kingdoms over

Whenever her favorite cereal

Was absent from the castle kitchen

You may not find yourself

Being all that tantrum-y

In this, your second year

But if you are

We would like you to know

That we have fully prepared

For that eventuality

We have rules and guidelines

Specific to your next twelve months

During the second year in the life of a princess

She is not allowed to declare war

On any other neighboring kingdom

Nor is she allowed to construct an army

Made up of trolls or winged ogres

If that sounds nonsensical to you

We can assure you

That these laws were made

Based on the behavior

Of past toddler princesses

You are not allowed to demand

That people spin around in front of you

Until they fall over

And you are not permitted to run into

The Eerily Quiet Forest

Anytime you do not get your way

We ask that you do not

Beseech the ghosts in the castle

To play pranks on the servants

And that you do not

Throw your father’s crown

Across the room

As it’s an heirloom

And if you break it

We will not be able

To make your father another one

And so he will be

A King without a crown

And while the crown does not make the King

Your father has a very odd-shaped head

And without a crown

He is most displeasing to look at

And so we request that you continue

To treat people and objects

With respect and care

And while we are...thrilled

That you are learning SO many new words

We ask that you use those words

With thoughtfulness

Since you are a princess

And your voice travels far

As Princess Morgana learned

When we got a noise complaint

From the Queen of Very Far Away

We understand

That you are still growing

And learning

And that you might eat

Some of the royal Play-Doh

Despite us begging you not to

But try to remember

That we only have

Your best interests at heart

You are becoming

More and more of yourself

Every day

And my, how the time

Does fly

Faster than we had anticipated

We recall when your father

Was your age

And you had so many

Of the same traits

He possessed

Not the oddly-shaped head

Thank goodness

But the infectious smile

And the kind heart

And the most wonderful laugh

If it were up to us

We would have had

A few more years

Of you being as young as possible

But we understand

That children grow

As we all do

It’s possible you will not have

A bad year at all

As some princesses are known

To be marvellously well-behaved

In their second year

Like Wellina the Quiet

Or Daphne the Suspiciously Quiet

Or Victoria Who Turned Out to Be a Doll

And Not a Princess At All

No matter what sort

Of second year

Or third year

Or any year

You end up in

You are still a princess

And we shall love and adore you

While making sure

You remember

Who it is you are

And what it means

To be so

Special