The Witch And The Sailor Poem by Richard Hughes

Their shadows spill over the floor
As the peasants approach
They will denounce her, a witch or a whore
For mischiefs that she set abroach
Fools thought her merely insane
They came with fire and steel in hand
In a cloud of fear and pain
The superstitious mob did fast disband
Now the village is but debris
Opposed by a solitary home
Occupied by nobody
Decidedly unsafe to roam
So ne'er go there, you've been warned
Lest, by her magic, you'll be scorned

A crackling woodfire burns before his eyes
He's transfixed by the smoke
Lost in his thoughts, and dreading the sunrise
He'll be uncloaked ‘fore the enraged folk
Drenched in sweat and fear
He hears whispers of a promised land
And without so much as shedding a tear
He made his escape, so grand
Lost in darkness, far out at sea
And now without a useful plan
Convinced that it was never meant to be
He heads home a defeated man
Despairing again, he reached for his booze
Yet something deep inside him did refuse

His shadow spilled over her floor
As the man did approach
He came to find her, and knocked on her door
To atone that which brought him reproach
She saw herself in this man
Told him he'd found his promised land
Her first lesson then began
To remove his head from deep in the sand
Now the village is being rebuilt
Centred around her lonely home
On a foundation of regrets and guilt
Once again, the land is safe to roam
Heed my words, I tell no lie
It's only too late when you die