VILLANELLE: SALEM, MASSACHUSETTS, 1692
When it arrived, there was no warning sign.
One day she was our neighbor ― then accused.
Wild gossip turned suspicious, whispered crimes.
Malicious words from enemies defined
Each trial. Called spectral evidence, this duped.
When it arrived, there was no warning sign.
Dark testimony surfaced anytime.
Sarah Good was a witch, the judge deduced.
Actions became suspicious, unveiled crimes.
More hangings dominated news headlines.
Mild Giles and Martha Corey slain next. Cruel!
When it arrived, there was no warning sign.
Ann Pudeator, Wilmot Reed inclined
Towards devils’ deeds, someone swore. Was this true?
Actions became suspicious, revealed crimes.
Now Salem, Massachusetts has enshrined
Dark history for tourists, who seem amused.
When it arrived, there was no warning sign.
Wild gossip turned suspicious, faking crimes.
Note: These five adults were accused of witchcraft and put to death in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. Testimony was based on hallucinations called “spectral evidence,” which was deemed inadmissible after Giles Corey’s death. This halted Salem’s witch hunts and the trials.
Native New Yorker LindaAnn LoSchiavo, a four time nominee for The Pushcart Prize, has also been nominated for Best of the Net, the Rhysling Award, and Dwarf Stars.
Elgin Award winner "A Route Obscure and Lonely" (Wapshott, 2019), "Women Who Were Warned” (Cerasus, 2022), Elgin Award, Firecracker Award, Balcones Poetry Prize, Quill and Ink, Paterson Poetry Prize, and IPPY Award nominee "Messengers of the Macabre" [co-written with David Davies], "Apprenticed to the Night" (UniVerse Press, 2023), and "Felones de Se: Poems about Suicide" (Ukiyoto Publishing, 2023) are her latest poetry titles.
She is a member of SFPA, The British Fantasy Society, and The Dramatists Guild.
In 2023, her poetry placed as a finalist in Thirty West Publishing's "Fresh Start Contest" and in the 8th annual Stephen DiBiase contest.
Twitter: @Mae_Westside
LindaAnn Literary: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHm1NZIlTZybLTFA44wwdfg
✍️ 💀🎃https://messengersofthemacabre.com/