like layers of golden hair. Stacks of books
and I can sing as loud as I please all day and night.
In sleep I kick and snore, during the day, delight
in eating nothing but radishes and lime leaf tea.
Who says I need a partner to dance? Here
in this tower I am mistress of all; the reindeer,
the knight’s armor teetering in the corner,
various discarded disguises, crowns,
crumbs and bones. Will you rescue me?
What kingdom will replace my bounty
of leisure, what tether of care and nurture
About the Author: Jeannine Hall Gailey's poems have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies including The Iowa Review, Rattle, The Columbia Poetry Review, The Seattle Review, Poetry Southeast, Verse Daily, The Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror, and the forthcoming Datlow/Windling anthology The Beastly Bride. She is the author of one collection, Becoming the Villainess, and one chapbook, Female Comic Book Superheroes. She lives in Seattle. For more information, please visit the author's website.
Copyright © 2008 by Jeannine Hall Gailey. This poem may not be reproduced in any form without the author's express written permission.