The Hansel & Gretel Forest 6

6
Gretel reaches for a candy apple,
it twists and writhes on the branch
little weasel eyes, it bites—
runs away on 4 legs, a caramel back striped

Oh where are the grackles and sea gulls now?
the yard is built upon something
besides graham cracker, a bubbling in the far west corner
the start of disintegration

sleep in a liquorice roped hammock
but really it’s a breakable and bitter bramble
thinks she can swing
it’s airless here and never breezy
a whoosh and fall to the hard packed dirt

in fact, everything is hard
eye-candy-days are over
the house is a sealed up
rounded and well worn—a boulder
a lost lover entombed