Witch Hunt by Kelly Louise Marshall (United Kingdom, 44)

Real Witches dress in ordinary clothes and look very much like ordinary women. They live in
ordinary houses and work in ordinary jobs. That is why they are so hard to catch. – Roald
Dahl, The Witches.

A throwaway remark,
wicked whispers in the dark
A tumour turned cancerous

Rumours, harassment,
persecution grew
Whispers became deafening
​​

Engulfing her
Submerging her
Sinking below the surface

Hitting bottom before re-emerging
Setting fire to fanned flames
Witch. Bitch. Slut. Whore.

Insults rained in a torrent -
Under her umbrella of composure,
she remained dignified
​
As she moved,
a hunt ensued
The Witch walking amongst us
The Witch they failed to drown.





Kelly Louise Marshall is based in Cornwall, UK. She is studying for her MA in Creative Writing with The Open University, after completing her degree in English Lit & Creative Writing. Her poem, Things They Don’t Show on TV Travel Shows, was short-listed for the Demo’s Rising Anthology with Fly on The Wall Press. She has also had several pieces of writing published, on a range of subjects including wellbeing, the environmental impacts of fast fashion, and the life of Maya Angelou. Her work explores themes such as feminism, political & environmental issues, love and nature. She is the founder of Write 2 Heal.