When witch bottles
were in fashion
in the 17th century
protections against
evil spells and witches

a priest, Father Artemus,
schooled in occult sciences
heard many complaints
that the bottles of urine,
pins, needles and salt
didn’t work

he conjured up
a potent formula,
put it in a witch bottle

when left opened in
a house at night
would capture
a witch’s spirit
the witch’s body
would burn
to ashes

but his improved
witch’s bottle
vanished forever
7 days after he
invented it

the written formula
never found
father Artemus’s body
burned to ashes
a witch riding a broom
under a full moon
cackling and holding
his potent witch bottle.

Bob Boyd