THE MILL POND

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Mabry mill with fall foliage along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virgina.

    THE MILL POND

The Old Mill at the bend,
Where, every now and then,
The Mill pond is called back
By the water pouring itself
Into a great flood,
Covering the old road,
Filling the sunken garden,
Drowning the lanes
In witch soaked water,
So that no-one can come or go.
No-one disturb the ghosts
Of all the women drowned
As witches.

We don’t want them
Floating on top of the water.
Their dying eyes remembering,
Their mouths wide open with curses
To fall on those murdering men.

Witch hunters
Want those words laid upon them swept away.
Want the drenching fear of the dark spells lifted.
The women drowned all over again.

They should be so lucky.

The one with hair red as sunset,
White boned with wispy fingers,
Red heart bright with living fire,
Who has waited out the centuries
To claim her righteous vengeance,
Will take back every last curl
Torn from her dying head by jealous women,
Working hand in hand with murderous men.

Take heed, then.
Killers take care.
Remember the wronged dead,
Still lying amongst the dark weeds,
Still floating and drifting
Down and along the old Mill pond.

They do not forget
But wait by the Mill at the bend.
Their dead tongues clacking,
Their heavy shadows bending life and death
To their implacable will.

                   ©2020 Gwen Grant

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16 thoughts on “THE MILL POND”

  5. Thank you for your very kind comment. So glad you enjoyed it – as I enjoyed your poetry.
    Thank you.
    Gwen.

    Like

  9. Thanks so much for liking this. It’s impossible to tell if a poem is going to work and I was
    quite worried about this one.
    Gwen.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. On the East Coast of Scotland 10 years ago I attended a reinactment of a witch burning, The Brahan Seer of Rosemarkie. I guess we do the same with Guy Fawkes, we are not as civilised as we like to think we are. We are only a few steps away from pogroms, mob rule, chaos.
    Your poems/stories are always good. I want to not like one to give you a break from rereading my few offerings but that would be dishonest!

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Yes, Gwen, even i think of such things seeing an old abandoned house, a tree, a place or for that matter anything, I go into this thought as what and how would it had been before. 🙂You are most welcome Gwen🤗🌷

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  12. The top part of your reply – the reinactment of a witch burning, made me shudder. The bottom part made me laugh!
    Gwen.

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  13. Take heed indeed:
    “The one …
    Who has waited out the centuries
    To claim her righteous vengeance,
    Will take back every last curl
    Torn from her dying head by jealous women,
    Working hand in hand with murderous men.”

    This is powerful stuff! Happy to have found it.
    Thank-you.

    Like

  14. As far as I can ascertain, there was no witch hunter around here but there were so many of them in each three countries and, as you will know, in America. Absolute swines!
    Gwen.

    Liked by 1 person

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