Daughter not-daughter, girl in silver gown, spare a little sparkle for me as you tread down the steps I prepared you to navigate. Glass does wonders for the footing, letting you glide across the hard surfaces, nearly skating. Remember I taught you the steps to the dance, how to curtsey, how to cock your head to let the moonlight shine across your cheek so it looks kissed by dew, how to make pumpkin sweet to him. Don't forget from which vine you came: thread back hand over hand into the garden. Don’t forget who tended you with magic. Do not leave me lonely, spellbound by age and service, in this small cottage as fire diminishes into ash.
Christine Butterworth-McDermott’s poetry has appeared in Cimmaron Review, The Normal School, Southeast Review, and RATTLE, among others. She is the author of the chapbook Tales on Tales and the full-length collection, Woods & Water, Wolves & Women (2012), and the head editor of the online journal, Gingerbread House Literary Magazine.
What hidden thing would she like to find? “I have a reoccurring dream of waking up, coming down for breakfast, and discovering through the window an extremely large gift-wrapped package in my backyard. In my dream, I never open the package, but the thrill and excitement of what the red wrapping might hide is lovely. I have no idea what I’d do if that actually happened, but it’s a pretty nifty emotion.”
Art — kAt Philbin is an artist based in Los Angeles, CA. She draws inspiration from fairy tales and personal mythologies to create her delicate illustrations with many, many tiny pen lines. See more of her artwork at www.katphilbin.com.
Back to Issue 6: Hidden Things