THE WITCH’S RIDE

I tried to brush my horse’s mane
“What have you done to tangle it this way?”
He turned his furry face my way
“The witches came for me,” he said.

“The nights dark mantle covered the earth,
a wild wind rose up instead
with a slip of a stick came a witch.
She was dressed in black, the same as I..

Before I knew she was on my back
urging me to go faster yet.
Of course I did, I ran so fast my hooves left the dirt.
I jumped the fence! It happened before I knew it.
You know I would never do that to you.

But there I was up in the sky
galloping across the clouds.
The silver moon lined us bright
as we flew, really flew through the night.

We followed the wind.
Stars filled my eyes.
The witch behind me in her tattered clothes
laughed and cackled with delight
as we turned from the moon’s gilding, back to black as night.

We caused mischief from one house to another.
She made me prance on roof tops and gutters.
We reared over innocent travelers.
As we darkened the sky
They would scream “Not I! Not I!”

She finally with the lightening of the sky
took me back to pastures home
promising another night’s roam.”

“Did the witches ride you last night?
Your mane is a tangled sight.”

Sally Y. Weber
2006