Witch Adder
by Jon Wesley Huff
Witch adder blackWitch adder greenWhich is the riderAnd which the unseen?
Witch adder crimsonWitch adder whiteWhich is the cureAnd which is the blight?
Run to the milland run to riverRun past the straw manThrough briar and heather
Run past the winding roadWinds round the deadWave to the porchmanThat holds his head
Witch adder silverWitch adder yellowWhich is the sawbones—that curious fellow?
Witch adder slitheringWitch adder blueWhich adder killed me?Witch killed you?
Thanks everybody for listening to Psychochronograph audio. I hope you don’t mind me diving into spooky season a little early. I had planned to save this one for October, but then I realized I’ll have something more pressing to read for you then. My new book, In the Dark of the Grove, will be out next month (October) from Gurt Dog Press. The exact date is still up in the air, but I’ll let you know when it’s coming out. Don’t worry. And I'll be reading a couple chapters from it next time.
Witch Adder was written a couple years ago for Halloween. I find poetry difficult. I have written some, but rarely every feel like it’s good enough to share. The line between impactful poetry and not-great poetry always seem so razor thin to me. And i’m not even sure I’m a good judge.
But my main goal with Witch Adder was just fun. Something that incorporated a little bit of the lore I heard around the campfire as a kid. But mostly I just wanted it to be fun to read out loud.
Audio: Very Low Note by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4581-very-low-noteLicense: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license