Dark shades drawn on paneless frames,
four days to find the honey girl, a pretty girl,
with a shiny blackbird curled close to her
sugar grain body. Still too dreamy she stayed—
after the walls set about in flames—upstairs
somewhere, asleep somewhere, devoured
by candy fantasies, within the witch’s room.
Stone and box and body burned—such
tiny suns with copper crowns and little
golden jewels—once bright-eyed doll—
once yellow hair—now ash.
Kristen Clanton
Kristen Clanton was born and raised in Tampa, Florida and graduated from the University of Nebraska, earning an MFA in poetry. Her poetry and short fiction has been published by the Bicycle Review, Birds We Piled Loosely, BlazeVOX, Burlesque Press, Furious Gazelle, Leopardskin & Limes, Mad Hatter’s Review, Mangrove Review, Midnight Circus, Otis Nebula, Outrider Review, Ragazine, and Sugar House Review. She also has work in the forthcoming issues of Paper Nautilus. More of her work is available at: www.kristenclanton.com
Artist: Caryn Drexl, “Channeling Medusa”
Website: http://www.caryndrexl.com/
Gingerbread House Lit Mag 