witch

A Witch by Edward Robert Hughes, 1902

in the past i have entertained the thought that i might be a bit crazy
but honestly i knew better

people have called me a witch, a bitch, eccentric
even radical at times
and yes, i have been and can be all those things

these definitions are limited but are all part of who i am
i am more
i am me
i am not trying to be anyone else

it does not make me crazy for knowing what i know
saying what i think
and feeling all i feel

i talk to the plants
rub fresh herbs between my fingers to breath the intensity of their aroma
and caress my lips with rose petals to feel their silken kiss

i make magic
with herbs and oils and crystals

i lay bare breasted under the sun
and dance naked under the moon

i hurt easily
and hide when i hurt
howling like a wounded animal into the ether

i love intensely
and only
only when i am loved
do i fly

7-7-2020