Through the Looking Glass
“But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
“Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here.”
Alice peers through the looking glass
(a queen of hearts in a kingdom of voyeurs)
at cotton candy clouds, moving westward
so montivagant. Shady characters slump
beneath shady trees above the gloomy flume.
Worms smoke dope on magic mushrooms,
and the Jabberwocky vrooms across
the vestiges of violaceous charisma
blushing each sunrise to sunset
warm pinkish secrets.
She is no coward struck with
catoptrophobia. Yet now is not the time
for fanfaronade to gorgonize the cavalcade
bound to the Red Queen’s ktenology,
for here no anarchist antidotes loom.
She must flee her own hamartia
while her house of cards yet stands,
while cats yet grin and rabbits run,
while pigs have wings and dodos roam,
she can still go home.
Shield Maiden
some girls wait
in a castle
others call
a cage
they wait
for the red cape
to come flashing
a prince with perfect teeth
and polished boots
they wait
for their gardens to grow
they say it takes
a lot of rain
alone in their bower
they watch
the parade pass by
they dream
of roses that never fade
in a world full of princes
full of monsters too
Masquerade
diamond tiara
feathers of red or blue
goblin
cat or bandit
she hides
cheeks and eyes
behind the mask
because she’s shy
she betrays no magic
to gods of mountain or sky
she wears the mask
because she’s shy
gods on the mountain
gods in the sky
she wears the mask
because she’s shy
About Anna Cates
Anna Cates is a graduate of Indiana State University (M.A. English and Ph.D. Curriculum & Instruction/English) and National University (M.F.A. Creative Writing). Her first collections of poetry and fiction, The Meaning of Life and The Frog King, were published by Cyberwit Press, and her second poetry collection, The Darkroom, by Prolific Press. She lives in Ohio with her two beautiful kitties and teaches education and English online, including graduate courses in creative writing.