We pick up where we left off

in a virtual world

we haven’t visited in years.

Here, our avatars can be whatever we want.

I’m a princess.

We snack and play for hours.

We take on enemies

we can barely defeat

and wonder why we do this

to ourselves.

It reminds me of

playing video games all night

during sleepovers

with my closest friends

as a teenager.

We have our own language

and inside jokes.

You are my best friend

and we’re fighting evil together.

It feels so good

to wear pink

and look feminine

even if it’s just in a game.

Here, we can control our fate.

Good always triumphs.

We get to re-fight the battles we lose.

It’s a safe place to get lost in.

You tell me,

“I’m going to kill the monkey before bed.”

It’s the type of thing only a gamer girl would say.

Tonight, I will dream of other worlds,

content knowing I’m a princess

to at least one person.