Witch

[poliphilo]

Witch

 

I dug for the bones

And boiled em up with herbs

And said the proper words

Till the ghost came flitting,

Loose jointed, weak:

I showed him I meant business.

You fetchee and you carry

I said to him with signs.

 

Go to my Lord

Let him not lie easy

Go to my Lady

Poison all she eats

Let the flesh fall from her

Let her daily weaken

Let her lose her baby- and

Be frighted by her glass.

 

No harm, no harm

It’s only crazy Mary

Who lives among the ruins

And was pretty once,

Who buried her poor baby.

Alms pretty lady

(Or you know what might occur)

All for sweet Jesu’s sake.

Comments

[jackiejj.livejournal.com]

Go to my Lady
Poison all she eats
Let the flesh fall from her
Let her daily weaken
Let her lose her baby- and
Be frighted by her glass.


I'm reminded suddenly of a curse my ex-husband often quoted:

May you marry a ghost and
give birth to a kitten.
And may the high king of heaven
permit you to get
the mange.

As for "only crazy Mary," this morning on Our Local Stories ("The Heartland Series," about East Tennessee, a story was told about a crazy woman in the 1800s who wandered around the hills here and frightened children. She had, say old people who remember the story, buried a child and couldn't get over it, so she wandered away and slept outside and wore rags and begged for food at cabin doorways. People told their children that Lizzie would get them if they didn't behave. She slept in the corners of fences, and one night it rained and the rain turned to ice and she froze.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

My Crazy Mary is just this kind of a person. I imagine her living in a hovel among the ruins of Hadrian's wall- and popping out to pester passers-by.

[jackiejj.livejournal.com]

I've been reading ghost stories again, having found some old books of Kate's that were illustrated by Gorey. He's a delight, with his creepy tableaus--so droll.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Ghost stories- and illustrations by Gorey: what a perfect combination.