Witch and Stick
by Beth Cato
seriously
brooms are thin and hard
not the slightest bit ergonomic
even cushioned by my mighty curves
how could anyone bear to ride a broom
for more than a few minutes?
and the splinters, ugh
I want to look, well, powerful
when I swoop across the night sky
like a witch no one wants to mess with
the only stick I ever want to carry
is made for hockey
so how else can I fly in magical style?
sure, a spell can make a car hover
but that weight tires me out fast
flying bicycles cause people
to make old movie jokes
same with enchanted parasols
then I think about my favorite kind of stick
and laugh
I pull out my old hockey skates
white leather gone battleship grey
I whisper cantrips into each blade
sharpen steel with whetstone
and pixie dust and calico cat breath
I tighten magic into the laces
when I push away from earth
I cleave clouds with my skates
my strides send me like a slapshot
across the ebony sky
my goal:
anywhere
everywhere
the sky is mine