Glinda Watches the Wizard of Oz by Sarah Ann Winn

Are You a Good Witch or a Bad Witch?

If a child asks, you
can’t cite cyclones,
or reveal your tattoo,
shilly-shally, equivocate
about love and jealousy,
elaborate on the spectrum
between virgin or whore.
When she asks with her
dog in her arms, having
just walked away from
crushing the other you,
she can’t imagine duality.
Your pastel dress reassures
her with the resiliency of its
pink princess tulle. She is
mostly convinced you can
only be good, and life can
only be fair. If asked,
I’d say, Good enough.

Sarah Ann Winn’s writing has appeared or is upcoming in Five Points, Hayden’s Ferry Review, Massachusetts Review, Passages North, and Quarterly West, among others. Her chapbooks include Field Guide to Alma Avenue and Frew Drive (forthcoming Essay Press, 2016), Haunting the Last House on Holland Island (forthcoming Porkbelly Press, 2016) and Portage (Sundress Publications, 2015). She holds a Master of Fine Arts from George Mason University and a Master of Library Science from Catholic University of America. Visit her at http://bluebirdwords.com or follow her @blueaisling.