The Art of Betraying Others For Food

Marisca Pichette

 

First, one must be selective. 

Very few dishes can be valued above

the lives of your loved ones,

or the world.

 

Case: Items labeled for consumption

Arranged on a glass end table, they plead.

Drink me, Eat me. Honor this request.

Pick your potion, select your quantity. Destroy 

private property in anticipation of another 

Bite.

 

Case: Bread crumbs

To rid oneself of meddlesome 

stepchildren, charge a Dustbuster

to its full potential. Follow the trail they made,

cleaning all the way. 

These crumbs are perfect 

for stuffing.

 

Case: Candy house

Set your oven to 400 degrees.

Wrap your witch in aluminum

to prevent dry meat.

Roast, toast, and finish 

with candied walls.

 

Case: A basket of goodies

Here is a crossroads. 

Your tongue lolls. For sweets,

murder one girl. But if you are

the girl?

 

Case: Wolf meat

Take one knife and sharpen it

next to a cottage and an ax.

Skin, mindful not to stain

grandmother’s best linens.

 

 

Case: Sons who rape

One meat pie, seasoned

and served as an appetizer

for blood.

 

The aperitif is always

 

Delicious.

 

***

Marisca Pichette is a bisexual author of speculative fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Her work has been published in PseudoPod, Daily Science Fiction, Apparition Lit, Room, and The NoSleep Podcast, among others. Her debut novel, BROKEN, is forthcoming in Spring 2022 with Heroic Books. A lover of moss and monsters, she lives in Western Massachusetts.