Skyway to Fantasyland

Carol Everett Adams

We climb stairs to the loading platform.

The crowd presses us together. This is not an adult ride, 

but it will be. We board and close the half door.

The attendant bids us safe journey, pushes our little red gondola

over the drop, and we rock on the cable, link fingers, lose sandals. 

Your lips begin their sacred service. I am your red queen.

I will cut you out of my life someday. Our legs are vines, my eyes

take root in you, hands cling hard to the trellis.

The chalet pulls closer. You remove my crown, 

but I permit your hand to stay where I like it.

Carol Everett Adams (she/her/hers) writes poems about Disney theme parks, organized religion, UFOs, and other topics. She lives in the Midwestern United States and works in the tech industry. Her poems have been published in Avalon Literary Review, California Quarterly, Crack the Spine, Euphony, FRiGG, Ghost City Review, Hawaii Pacific Review, The MacGuffin, The New York Quarterly, Owen Wister Review, Pennsylvania English, Quercus Review, Soundings East, Sweet Tree Review, The Virginia Normal, and others. She earned her MFA in Writing from the University of Nebraska. You can connect with her at caroleverettadams.com and roundearthtravels.com.