SORCERESS OF SHADOW VALLEY

Buried on this land,
she threatened more than once to return
to do what she did best in life,
terrorize her neighbors.
Today, the swing moves back and forth
with the ghost of Lucy Baird.
Sixty years ago,
she was a master of black magic
and put her spell on those
who defied her will.
The aroma of her incense lingers still.
In her apron pocket,
the imprint of that box of kitchen matches
reminds me of the time
she walked in darkness
to strike new fire,
torching clapboard house after clapboard house,
carving destruction's path.
Her return is a reminder
of when families stayed up at night,
armed, keeping watch at every window
for the Sorceress of Shadow Valley
stalking leafy trails
with evil in her gait.

© Harding Stedler


Commentary:

In my days of teaching, my students were fascinated with stories about ghosts and spirits. Some believed in them; some did not. One of my students claimed to have a friendly ghost that lived inside the walls of her rural Kentucky farmhouse.

I was reminded of Louise one day when I peered through my kitchen window and saw the porch swing moving back and forth. But no one was in the swing. I was sure Louise would have explained the phenomenon as the workings of a ghost.

In the mountains of Kentucky, many people are avid believers in ghosts. They often attribute evil doings to the work of a ghost of some unseemly character who once lived in those parts. They believe in the return of spirits and ghosts, who continue perpetrating their evil deeds in death.

Harding Stedler
Bonfire contributor