long lost riding hood

This is a super old version of Little Red Riding Hood from France. Notice that the girl does not actually have a red riding hood of any sort.

There was once a woman who had some bread, and she said to her daughter: take this hot loaf and a bottle of milk to your granny. So the little girl set off. At the crossroads she met a bzou (werewolf).

“where are you going?” he asked of the girl.

“I’m taking a hot loaf and a bottle of milk to my granny.”

“Which path are you taking, little girl? The path of needles, or the path of pins?”

“The path of needles,” she replied.

“well, then,” says the bzou, “I’ll take the path of pins.”

They set off, the girl amusing herself by collecting needles, while the bzou raced ahead. He arrived at the grandmother’s, killed her, put some of her flesh in the pantry and a bottle of blood on the shelf. The girl arrived and knocked on the door.

“Push the door,” said the bzou. “It’s just closed with wet straw.”

“Hello granny. I have a hot loaf and some milk for you.”

“Put them in the pantry. Eat the meat that’s there, and drink the wine.”

As the girl ate a small cat said: “She is slut who eats the flesh and drinks the blood of her granny.”

“Undress, child,” said the bzou, “and come into bed.”

“What shall I do with my clothes, granny?”

“Throw them into the fire my child, you won’t be needing them anymore.”

“Oh granny, how hairy you are!”

“It’s to keep me warmer child.”

“Oh granny, those long nails you have!”

“To scratch me better, child.”

“Oh granny, what big shoulders you have!”

“The better to carry firewood with my child.”

“Oh granny, what bug ears you have!”

“All the better to hear you with my child.”

“Oh granny, what big teeth you have!”

“All the better to eat you with, child!”

“Oh granny! I have to go badly! Let me outside!:

“Do it in bed, my child.”

“No, granny. I want to do it outside.”

“All right, but be quick.”

The bzou tied a woolen string to her foot and let her out. When the little girl got out the door she tied the end of the string to a big plum tree in the yard. The bzou became impatient and said: “Are you making a load out there? Are you shitting a load?” When he realized that no one answered him, he jumped out of bed and saw that the little girl had escaped. He followed her, but he arrived at her house just at the moment she was safely inside.

Goldilocks

thick tongue, cracked lips, dry hands all want UP.
the mouth's roof feels gummy, smooth, not quite right,
long fingernails scrape layers of cells off, away.
sweater on, teeth brushed, up the stairs.
made coffee that was too dark, too rich, not quite right,
left it half drunk next to the cigarette, half smoked.
down the stairs, into the shower.
moaning against water that is too hot, too cold, not quite right.
sitting, wet, shivering on the tub's edge,
looking for words, finding them limp, desperate, not quite right.
dried off, made a mess looking for clothes.
useless to care,
those pants are all too big or TOO BIG, not quite right.
dressed, up the stairs.
made tea with lemon, in the grey and brown mug.
dark, light, sweet, sour, and almost right.
later, looking in a mirror for no good reason,
I see, my hair is just right.