Fairy Tale

Offer me a peach and a fork. Offer my sadness a small box.
Red or gold or white, it doesn't matter. Please don't touch
the lit candles on the tree. Store the box until I want it, then
tell me a story, the one where I'm happy as a trout because
no one catches me. The trout wants a box to call its own.
The red fox wants to swim across the river. The bear ran
away from the woodsman, then fell asleep in the honey tree.
If only we had a brand new axe! Open my box, and you'll
find my brand new child. I've been wanting the two of you
to meet.

Copyright © 2006 Kathleen McGookey All rights reserved
from The Literary Review
Reprinted by Verse Daily® with permission