Waking the Witch

Once, to be a witch was not to carry magic,
but to carry suspicion.

Perhaps you knew too much about herbs,
spoke too freely,
lived alone,
or simply refused to become what others expected you to be.

In a world ruled by fear, difference became evidence.

The forest could be your refuge.
Knowledge could become your crime.
Silence could condemn you,
and speaking could condemn you too.

They called it witchcraft because they needed a name
for what they could not understand.

And sometimes the most dangerous magic
was simply being different.