This is the house that Jack built
in the woods where no one can see.
These are the dim-lit halls he walks
barefoot in the murky night.
This is the red oak floor
sanded too smooth for slivers.
This is the board that creaks
in front of a small blue door.
This is the way Jack's eyes gleam
in a house where no one can see.
This is the way he shivers.
This is the room where Jill lives
alone at the top of the stairs.
These are the sunburst windows
that Jill can never get open.
This is the lacy frost that
Burns skin when ever she tries.
These are the spiders who spy
for Jack from a web over the door.
These are the mice who tell him
when she sleeps or if she cries.
This is the way Jill trembles when
she remembers he wants her to lie.
These are the things that happen if
he thinks she has something to hide.
These are the doors tight shut
in the house that Jack built.
This is the way they trap
the smallest noise inside.