The Witch of Aberdeen



She lived outside of Aberdeen
Where Scotland woods stood glum and gray
Above a cavern in between
The rising moon and setting day.
Her laughter seemed to plague the night—
    That is, as some would say;
And oft, through yonder crescent light,
Would on her broomstick glide away.

One day a mob of townsfolk came
And seized her from her dwelling place—
The violence bruised her fragile frame,
The blows and blows her puzzled face.
'Neath weeping woods and weeping sky,
   They drug her to a space
Where she was left alone to die,
A witch condemned to hell's embrace.

Not one had known the homeless teen,
This mute recluse abandoned there—
But she loved God and lived serene
In grim conditions none would dare.
And now her laughter fills His halls,
   And halos hug her hair.
This girl condemned by 'Christain laws'
Is now embraced by Heaven's Care.

About this poem

An unnecessary tragedy, I was hoping by this poem to highlight the dangers of runaway superstition, gossip and rumor. “The Witch of Aberdeen” is a poem about a mute, teenage girl who, for whatever reason, lives a reclusive life in an historic period where countless women were accused of witchcraft and condemned to death—and this, sometimes, by vigilante arbiters. The irony of the poem is that, far from being a witch, this homeless girl lived peacefully under God’s Providence.  

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Submitted by Vixility on September 25, 2022

Modified on May 03, 2023

51 sec read
1,257

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCBCB DEDEFEFE AGAGXGXG
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 884
Words 170
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8

John W. May

John W. May has lived in Colorado all his life. He currently works in the field of ophthalmology and loves to mountain bike and read about history. John first became a lover of poetry in 2008 after having read a poem by John Milton. He has been reading and studying the works of various poets since. His favorite poets are Emily Dickinson, Fyodor Tyutchev and W. B. Yeats. more…

All John W. May poems | John W. May Books

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