Witch Trial

What Are You?

Witch; I was born

and Witch I will die

I see the world through

Witch eyes.

What do you do?

I love and I live

I fairly take and fairly give

my life is indeed quite passive

By What power do you act?

The moon and the sun guide me

Spirits says to speak boldly

for my path; it stretches

through shadows and mystery

By what law do you live?

An it harm none; Do what ye will

when the moon is dark reflect and be still

Ask what ye wish of the full moon light

Live these laws and always do right

with this your dreams fulfill

What say you of yourself?

I am a daughter of the Goddess

compared to others no more; no less

Though my Goddess; her wisdom is ageless

and within her my existence is boundless.

Plead ye guilty to these crimes?

I say that those who would accuse; know not I

the night of the full moon sees me not perched on a broom

seeking to fly

no deviltry do I make

but it is blood lust you seek to slake

despite all this

Mercy and guilt you will never hear me cry.

What final words speak ye?

Witch I was born

and Witch I will die

I see the world through

Witch eyes

on this eve one boon I would request

Lovely Lady Moon

I ask that judgement not come too soon

Instead I pray they would be blessed

Goddess please

do bless them well

For the mistake made this night time will tell.

Author's Note

Sometimes , something comes up from no where and you must write it- this was one such piece, I would like to hear your thoughts on the format that I used the flow and the feeling that comes from it as well, I would like to know overall impressions. Thank you. Rhiannon

Reviews

[Tania Leigh]

Rhiannon, I like the format....it's like a conversation between two people.....one, a curious and somewhat judgemental person asking the questions, and the speaker, proud of their beliefs, patiently answering them.

Some good insight here, too....if I am correct, it is about Wiccans? Wicca is fascinating, and unfortunately often times misunderstood. Excellent piece here!

[Michael X]

Rhi, I really like the way you gave the feeling in this poem an interview aspect, a series of questions and their corresponding answers, I like the uniqueness you created with a true sense of knowledge on the subject, which the subject itself is

something I personally find intriguing as well as fun, the meaning of witchcraft
has certainly taken a much better approach compared to predocessors, you give a nice insight into the subject as well, the oepening sentences are passionate and set the

tone for what follows with certainness, the rhyme scheme is nicely done, at the same time the reader can feel the sense of agonizing prejudice suffered for belief,
and to me that is very sad in itself, beautifully done. the imagery comes to life
with powerful impressions of the night sky.
Take Care, Mike

Favorite lines:

Plead ye guilty to these crimes?

I say that those who would accuse; know not I

the night of the full moon sees me not perched on a broom

seeking to fly

no deviltry do I make

but it is blood lust you seek to slake

despite all this

Mercy and guilt you will never hear me cry.

[BrightEyes]

first, sorry I am so long in getting here - my connection went kaplooey and I am just now back online. I liked the formatting here - from the first I thought how it read like the Salem witch trials - only with different answers from the accused. I liked the answers as well - the language held well I think to the time period from which it intended - I thought it a very thought provoking piece and well written.

*hugs*

laura

[Christopher 'Windstorm'..]

it gave me a chill of days long past when we were burned for what we believe in. this is a reall vivid and detailed piece of work and i am glad i had a moment to read such fine words, its like reading a play almost. well done

[Tina-Sue]

I loved this and the more I read it, the more I got something from it.

I liked the format, so incredibly simplistic but not, questions like those, can be very pointed and get through layers in one movement.

It made me think of not only trials by those "outside" but of the ones that often occurs among people of the same circles.

Thank you for sharing this.
Brightest Blessings.

[Babbette Francis]

I like the format. But I also like the strength that you show. The message- everything!
By the way- I too have a strong fascination for moon. I often find my strength in the sight of the moon. And I must admit after reading this- I'm feeling kindda spooked!!

Great Write!

[R J Askew]

'Witch I was born and witch I will die' have a great sense of self about them and say this is me, take me as I am or not, I am not changing for anyone or anything. This is how I am and where I fit in the scheme of things. It is very definite and asks the implied question, 'What are you?'

[Genie]

I really like this litany! It's an apology in the truest sense of the word, not apologizing for but standing up for one's beliefs and life -- more a creed.

The format is really good. My one suggestion is purely visual, and that is to consider making the colors bolder. The contrast between the black and the lavender are hard to discern, at least on my screen, so it took a couple of readings to determine there were two voices. Or even separate the voices more, putting an extra line in between response and next question.

I think there may be a typo at the beginning of one response ... After "By what law do you live?" I wonder if the response should start off "That" instead of "An"? I also wonder if 'passive' is the right word, near the beginning; especially when you later say 'to speak boldly', I wonder if 'peaceful' or something else might indicate effectively what I think you're saying. To me, 'passive' indicates no interest and/or action, and I have a feeling that's not what you mean ...?

I'm so glad you decided to follow the muse on this one, Rhiannon! The atmosphere of a trial is prominent here, but you've gently turned the scope around to make the 'judge' and reader think. Well done!