Attuned to your cry,
I burst from sleep, fly to your crib,
and board the creaking carousel,
brave the fun-house maze,
spin like a pinwheel in a gale,
and—hollow as a busted egg—
gorge on fried dough and candy floss,
caramel apples and corn dogs,
lollipops big as dinner plates,
until—gut-stapled, gut sore—
I fill my empty arms with you,
who throw the breakers, one
by one, and there, in darkness,
shut the manic circus down,
hush the mad calliope,
and take me, with you, home.
–
Lauren Wolk is a poet, artist, arts advocate, and the NYT best-selling author of Wolf Hollow, Beyond the Bright Sea, Echo Mountain, My Own Lightning, and, coming in April 2025, Candle Island.
© 2025, Lauren Wolk
Halfway Down the Stairs 