Little Red Riding Hood Speaks, by Elanur Williams

A Basket of Flowers, by Jan Bruegel the Younger (Belgium) 1620s

Little Red Riding Hood Speaks 
​
Grandmother told me 
to use my own hands. 
Take needles and pins, 
red thread, and create 
a hand-spun life. Fold bread, 
pick flowers, and place wine 
into my wicker basket. 
I leaned into the green, unsure 
if it was poison ivy or nettle,
even though I knew both grew 
in those woods. I’ve journeyed 
here before, and everyone has advice, 
yet trust is not so simple: it grins 
with an open mouth and swallows 
me whole. I use my own hands 
to claw myself out. 
 
Elanur Williams 

An earlier version of this poem was published as "Path of Needles, Path of Pins" at Quail Bell Magazine. 

Elanur Williams is an educator based in New York. She holds a B.A. in English and Creative Writing from Concordia University Montreal, an M.Phil. in Children’s Literature from Trinity College Dublin, and an M.S.Ed. in Literacy Studies from University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. She currently teaches GED students, and previously worked as an elementary school teacher. A mother and lifelong learner, Elanur is dedicated to nurturing creativity and critical thinking in her students while continuing to explore new writing endeavors in her spare time.