The Witch of the Wolfwoods, By Amanda C. Davis

They sent a girl, a pretty pup.
I wonder if they dared to tell her,
While they filled her basket up,
Who is Granny, what befell her?


Does she know it took full thirty
Men to chain my wolfish wrath?
Ten to hunt me, ten to hurt me,
Ten to drag me down the path?


Cowards: as they fear to kill me
So they fear to let me die.
Now they send me bread to fill me.
I'd rather starve. But I'm still sly.


The chains have loosened from my feet.
This time, they have sent me meat.


Amanda C. Davis enjoys the occasional basket of sweets. Learn more about her and her work at http://www.amandacdavis.com.

Her Dark Materials, By Amanda C. Davis

Editor's Note: Amanda C. Davis loves making a mess. Learn more about her and her work at http://www.amandacdavis.com.

First you hoist a girl from the ashes,
Brush sooty tears from her face,
Tell her she's worthwhile.
Squelch through the garden.
Heave a pumpkin out of the mud,
Hack into it a door,
Grab its orange guts
Until it vomits seeds and strings.
Twist those prickly vines around your elbow
Into axles, hitches, wheels.
Catch mice barefisted.
Pluck a lizard from the wall.
For a coachman,
Lure out a mean, matted rat
And seize it by the tail
And shake free the fleas.
In the stories they'll sum it up with
Wands and incantations,
But real fairies know:
You have to get your hands dirty
To make real magic.

Image by VC Prinsep.