hands holding puppet strings

The puppet princess – a poem

This incredible poem is written by a victim-survivor who uses poetry to express her feelings through storytelling and fairy tales.

The puppet princess
Along long time ago in a place so very far away
Lived a puppet princess in a place she couldn’t stay
She thought that she was very strong till a puppet she became
She’d lived a life of desperation which filled her up with shame
She found a prince who rescued her and soon became her king
She learnt that he ruled so she would skip, dance and sing.

She became a queen and felt so all alone
She had a little prince and princess of her own
One day she found that her strings were pulling far too tight
Her king would not let her go, he sure put up a fight
She found the strings were choking her very soul
And she would have to leave if she was to become whole.

She became a puppet balanced on a string
That’s the only way she could be with her king
She became a puppet because puppets do not feel
She needed to find a way just to become real
She decided to leave her kingdom and move far away
but even the little prince and princess didn’t want to stay.

This she did, he banished her from all that she had known
She had become a queen and the seeds, they were sown
But still he came and made her do things she dares not mention
To destroy her soul and keep her strings was his true intention
She fought so hard but he had won, he was given much more power
He stole the prince and princess – it was her darkest hour

He convinced the court that the queen was mad
She couldn’t keep it together because she was so very sad
It’s not just her strings were tight, her walls were tumbling down
All of this was too much pain, she must hang up her crown
This she did and she grew strong, although it took many years
She learned a way to recover and took away her fears.

The pain was so real she thought that she would die
It took years of suffering just for her to get by
She did what she had to do to cut the puppets string
No more would she need to be ruled, skip, dance and sing
She began to understand why a puppet she became
It was in the understanding. She let go of the shame.

by Maria

The latest from our news and blogs

Image for Impact report page

Celebrating impact: our 2024 – 2025 report

We’re proud to share our Impact Report for 2024-2025; a reflection of the resilience, courage, and hope that defines SARSAS and the people we support.

NOT

Ending sexual violence without fueling hate

At SARSAS, we know that violence against women and girls (VAWG) is rooted in misogyny, inequality, power and control. It is not about immigration. That’s why we have joined over 100 women’s rights organisations in signing a joint letter with the End Violence Against Women Coalition (EVAW), against the weaponisation of VAWG.

Two terracotta plant pots on a table. The pot on the left has been decorated with blue squiggly lines and a purple trim with yellow star. The pot on the right has been decorated with different shapes and patterns, including triangles, dots and lines using blue, yellow, red and purple.

Holding Space: a peer support group for older women

Last month, we launched a new peer support group for older women (aged 55 and over) who have experienced sexual violence at any point in their lives.