The Gilded Cage

Some saw her
As the Princess
Of the people.
She learned to use
Her celebrity
To bring the issues
To the forefront
Hugging an AIDS patient
At a time
When so many
Misconceptions existed.

Others saw the other part
Of her
She lived her life
Like a bird in a gilded cage
Her greatest desire
To be set free
In order to fly
And save the world.

Her eyes often
Betrayed her smile
A pain so evident
That it hurt to look at her.

Images forever etched
In our mind
A Princess walking
Across the Landmines
Of Africa
Crying tears
Over lives and
Limbs lost..

In the end
The fame that
Put her in the
World's eyes
That heart
So big it touched
The world.

But the role
She cherished
The most
Was the Mother of
Her two sons.
Two sons she'd
Be taken away
From .
In the name
Of greed.

Fly free
Princess of the people.

Fly with the
Angels .

Twenty years later
And the world still
Grieves.

(C) Michelle Renee Kidwell
August.12.2017