tread carefully, my dear
upon the crushed cans
the cloying syrup submerges your
stockinged feet
the meticulous snapsnapsnap of
splintered bones and teeth
a teetering pile of paradisiac sweets
perched upon a paper crown
you will fall down you will fall down
here greed is muffled by
thick rugs and crystal fixtures
blossoming neatly amidst
the crippled limbs
see how aptly each one bends?
you will fall down you will fall down
a stroke and a slap they march
in twos, a one-two punch will knock you
sensible, straight-backed, expert
hooked on the bittersweet whipthrash
the fastidious slapslapslap of
it’s for your own good, and
you’ll thank me later, and
it will all be worth it
but you’ll never be enough
and you will fall down you will fall down.
Hannah Ascher is a high school sophomore at Brentwood School in Los Angeles, California. She is passionate about global disaster relief and serves as a student ambassador for IsraAID, and as co-leader of the Brentwood International Disaster Relief Club. Her great loves include gothic poetry, historical fiction novels, and dance. Hannah is most at peace on a hiking trail or crafting harmonies with her brother and songwriting partner.