Gather round ye respectable folk,
To witness God’s will be done.
Be still your plow and oxen under yolk,
Our cleansing has surely begun.
Ridding our midst of minions from Hell,
Let thy fires rage and consume.
At high noon on the ring of chapels twelfth bell,
Let thine sentence be seal of thy doom.
With bible in hand and righteous indignation,
The minister stern raises hand.
Tossing torch with a grin and pompous resignation,
Burning witches to ash by flames fanned.
Good Salem be freed from Satan’s cursed lot,
As thy God has so vocally commanded.
May their bodies for eternity lie in torment and rot,
Our morality, their souls remanded.
.
~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~
.
AUTHOR’S NOTE: The Salem witch trials occurred in colonial Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693. More than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft—the Devil’s magic—and 20 were executed. Eventually, the colony admitted the trials were a mistake and compensated the families of those convicted. Since then, the story of the trials has become synonymous with paranoia and injustice, and it continues to beguile the popular imagination more than 300 years later. More can be read at the Smithsonian Magazine website http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/brief-salem.html
Dom DiFrancesco 
Lovely poem…and glad the souls
of these witches wrongly burned,
remain to someday regain
our consciousness
and teach us again
on openness and truthfulness. :)
Even with their sacrifice and the lesson that their trials should have taught us, it appears that we still have a very long way to go, but hopefully we will someday get there. :)
“Eventually, the colony admitted the trials were a mistake and compensated the families of those convicted.”
Hmmm…compensated? Unless they brought the dead back to life…
I would like to visit Salem during this time of year. I was hoping for this year. But – with current events – I may have to hold off until next year.
I have never been so Salem, or Massachusetts either for that matter, but I would love to visit. I love anything or place that is historic and Salem certainly qualifies. As far as compensation goes, no matter the time the crime occurred, there is no compensation sufficient to make senseless killings right. I hope you get to go next year, I think it would be a wonderful trip.
Love this period of history!
It certainly was a very interesting time in world history. :)
You are really feeling the Halloween spirit, Dom!
Dunking, what a test eh. If you float you’re a witch, if you drown you are innocent, God rest your soul….
Thank you, since I always feel like I’m drowning, I must the Dom the Good Witch of the West. :)
You’re welcome, hehe. #KrewLifePreserver. ;)
A very dark period in our history. Unfortunately, one of many as we often seem to forget our history. Kudos to you for reminding in such a poetic way :)
Thank you, I really enjoyed writing this one. :)
Ye olde good poem. I raise my ale! Cheers!
Sounds good, have one for me. :)
A tall diet ginger ale with a splash of apple cider.
Sounds good to me…yum. :)