/

Wait!

They've left off an ending

a wrapping-up

the closure that we're told we all hope for
that we all need

and that (we naively believe)

will tidy-up the guest room

and allow the would-be guest to return
along dwindling roads

to homegrowns
and otherworldly pleasures.

And so your intimidations -
the hunchback of your nightmares -

will continue to knock at the back door

at three AM

awakening you

to dig among the flower beds

for shards of the flower pots

from your childhood makebelieves
when sandcastles appeared like anthills
and images of candy canes lined your dreams.

And the benevolent accommodations?

None, only misinterpretations of twilight

leaving you wobbling along the path

to the gingerbread house

now overgrown with should-haves.

Lily Cole