The Butcher, The Baker, The Candlestick Maker by Kristen Gundlach The butcher, The baker, The candlestick maker Had a secret they shared At the end of the long weary workday Of toil, of laughter, of prayer They gathered together, come-hither With a fiery look in their eyes For the cookies that they would be baking All under the moon lights disguise For the butcher, you see, Was quite frightened To tuck away his clever and vats Shifting into a messy dough puncher Tossing flours and pressing cakes flat. The candlestick maker was quiet, A resolved, peaceful-like man Who dolled himself in bright glitter To complete the dough orders at hand He'd rub his wax-hardened fingers Loosen his collar and tie He kneaded the dough with a simper And a twinkle in his eye The baker was not a man at all, but a woman quite clever and sharp She found herself quite elated To host this grande party at dark So the butcher, the baker, the candlestick maker, Huddle together to dream, warming the yeast, stirring the milk All under sweet Dublin’s moon gleam Lest it be the smell of the wild bread rising Or the crisp of the cookies toast edge Perhaps all too strong in their temptings To keep the two men on their hedge So keep a look out for a butcher With a swagger and an uneven cut singing show tunes under his breath And growing a rather large gut The candlestick maker, my trusty friends, he may just be harder to find Perhaps look for the glint of the glitter It might just catch your eye.
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Kristen is a mixed media artist working at the intersection of medicine, art and ecology. By way of her medical background, she’s interested in the physical tensions that exist within and beyond us, embracing influence of spirit, story and human connection. Interested in the unseen underlayer, she weaves Jungian psychology and archetypes into storytelling via memory, time and dreams with a focus on the alchemy of healing.
Instagram: kristen.gundlach_