Malleus Maleficarum

primrose in my bathwater
rose quartz between my toes
mistletoe on my door
daisies in a vase on the floor

spell me
lavender in my tea
peppermint on my tongue

witch me
turn me into stone
fly me to the trees

eat me
devour my unborn children
consume my words alive

drown me
hold me underwater
fill my lungs with air

burn me
tie me to the pyre
cover me in flame

let me
hold your clawed hand
massage your bird feet

let us come together
let it echo in the trees

— listen to Courtney Bates-Hardy read Malleus Maleficarum

Courtney Bates-Hardy is the author of House of Mystery (2016) and the chapbook Sea Foam (JackPine Press, 2013). Her poems have appeared in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, Juniper, Room and This Magazine. One of her poems is forthcoming in Best Canadian Poetry 2021 (Biblioasis). More: Twitter @PoetCourtney