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| A Dangerous Feast Beware the hospitality of witches...... (Especially the ones who sincerely inform you that they are good....) To dine at Glinda's table One must be swift and clever As well as hungry, in order to convince The mangos, dripping with strange nectars, Apples, crisp and dry and chuckling at your efforts To consume them... That they should join their destiny with yours, And find ultimate consummation In a final, golden kiss. One must be willing To dance with monkeys and take the chance Of waking up with fleas Who will erect a hidden palace In the kindom of your hair And pay homage to you Nightly until dawn Carousing and drinking Your good health With wine you yourself have provided Of a very rare vintage indeed. The guest dining at Glinda's Must endure and embrace The endless chatter of Munchkins -- Her minions, Who simultaneously Idolize her and plot her death All in the same tiny breath. One must learn diplomacy Of a meager, abbreviated kind. One must learn that Ruby slippers sometimes pinch And often slip off Just when one needs them most. Dining with Glinda is no picnic. And yet, the seasoned guest will find No better view of Oz Than from her crystal terrace. Magic has its price And, like love, takes its toll. Both are notoriously dangerous, And likely to lead people Down roads they never meant to follow. But would you really want to live Without either??? Pass the salt, please ----Kathleen Youmans, Previously published in Weird Tales Magazine |
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