in this version
he didn’t know
his daughter was sitting
among the little apples
when he traded
the tree
its fruit
(his daughter)
to the devil
it is the devil
who makes
the poor father
take the axe
and axe
off her too
good hands
but the father
knew the tree
he traded
was his
daughter
too in many
places a tree
was planted
with a birth
and flourished
or withered
with its child
someone here
switched the fruit
apple trees
were planted
with boys pears
with girls
remember how
the father
who is sometimes
the brother
would have
married her
had she not
had her hands
cut
and offered
on a silver platter
many believed
a woman
missing a
part was not
a whole
and could
not marry
because
what is
the idea
of a virgin
but a
whole
the prince
gives her
golden hands
they are heavy
and hard
to keep warm
Millie Tullis
Millie Tullis is a poet and folklorists from Northern Utah. She received an MFA from George Mason University in 2021. Her work has been published in Sugar House Review, Rock & Sling, Cimarron Review, Ninth Letter, and elsewhere. She serves as the Assistant Editor for Best of the Net and reads for Poetry Daily.
Artwork: Natalia Drepina, Raw air embroidering strange patterns on pale skin
Website: https://www.deviantart.com/nataliadrepina
Gingerbread House Lit Mag 