We are the wolf-toothed women
whose mouths drip apple poison.
Children, beware:
the night is dark and full of terror
but the real danger lurks
within the house—
and by house of course we mean
tower, or castle, or gingerbread.
Strange how the fathers
are always blameless in these stories.
But men have never really needed magic
in order to behave like monsters,
like piercers of flesh.
And anyone who thinks a child is not monstrous
has never been torn apart in labor
never felt the blind, gnawing greed
of an infant at the breast.
We all have hunger.
We all must feed.
But have no fear
for we are always punished
for our appetites—
our flesh baked in our own ovens,
forced into red-hot shoes
and danced to death.
Our plans
unravel.
Our stomachs
empty.
Sophie Panzer
Sophie Panzer studies history at McGill University. She was a finalist for the 2017 Quebec Writers’ Federation Literary Prize for Young Writers, a 2016 Pushcart Prize nominee, and the winner of a 2015 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards National Silver Medal. Her first chapbook, Survive July, is forthcoming from Red Bird Chapbooks. Her recent work has appeared or is forthcoming in Fearsome Critters, Pulp Literature, and the Claremont Review. She enjoys musicals and long walks in the woods.
Artwork: Sarah Ann Loreth
Website: https://www.sarahannlorethphotography.com/
Gingerbread House Lit Mag 