Like coughing a bite of apple from a slender throat
Like a grandmother reborn from a wolf's belly
Like slipping a foot into a glass shoe
Like a frog prince thrown against a wall
We slough off the skin of the old year
And wait for what's underneath to toughen.
About the Author: Holly Black is the author of the Spiderwick Chronicles, a bestselling children's fantasy series created in collaboration with artist Tony DiTerlizzi (adapted into a feature film by Paramount Pictures), and three urban fantasy novels for young adult readers: Tithe: A Modern Faerie Tale, Valiant, and Ironside. She has also published short fiction and poetry in a variety of magazines and anthologies; and the first volume in a graphic novel series, The Good Neighbors, with artist Ted Naifeh. She's currently at work on a new novel, The White Cat, inspired by a classic French fairy tale. Black lives in a Tudor Revival house in Massachusetts with her husband, Theo, and an ever–expanding collection of books. For more information, please visit the author's website.
Poem copyright © 2008 by Holly Black. This work may not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the author and artist.