Voodoo Woman Poem by Cecilia W. Praetorius

She was small and wizened, brown as a berry,
And everyone called her "Dago Mary".
In a ramshackle house, overgrown with weeds,
She lived and practiced her evil deeds.
It was said she changed into a cat at night,
And roamed the streets until the morning light.

If she ever procured a lock of your hair,
She would cast an evil spell then and there,
Burning crooked candles of black, green and red
With incantations until you were dead,
It meant death to look into her evil eye,
And people crossed the street when she walked by.

All the children hid and shouted with fear,
"Here comes Dago Mary", when she was near.
They found her one day lying dead in the road;
In her right hand she clutched a large, dead toad.
Her body was covered with long, deep scratches,
And beside her lay some candles and matches.