When the small boy came knocking,
the wind a blizzard of disease and frostbite,
the old couple opened their home to him,
and offered him from the little they had –
hot apple cider, a stew of potato, warmed flour.
They gave him the warmest place in the house–
and covered him with extra blankets they themselves used.
In the morning, he was gone and they had slept through
snow drifting in piles blocking their door.
He left no tracks, he took nothing with him,
but when the sun came out and the day’s frost began to ease,
they saw the beginnings of a grand tree,
its leaves pointing to heaven, its branches laden with fruit,
candies, breads, vegetables and warm clothing.
| Copyright © 2020 by Michael H. Brownstein Michael H. Brownstein’s volumes of poetry, A Slipknot Into Somewhere Else and How Do We Create Love?, were published by Cholla Needles Press in 2018 & 2019, respectively. |
I like these fairy tale stories of yours best of all!
ReplyDeleteThey are filled with an honest simplicity that makes the magic even more delightful.
Bob, thanks for your most kind words.
ReplyDelete