Matthew Caretti
Ha Lumisi, Lesotho

Witching Hour

An elder hushes the village crowd. Recounts the events of this past week. The strange lights. The disappearances. The sighting of a bloodsucker …

frenzied cries
the story takes shape
in the fire

A priest from the nearby town steps into the wavering light. Offers a blessing. Reminds the villagers that the spirit world is in eternal struggle. Light balancing dark. So those practicing malevolent juju, he says, must be chased …

away
into the night
hurried footfall

He leads them. Through the night forest. Into a sudden clearing. Soon compound walls are smashed. Thatch burned. Then the quiet crackle of embers. He whispers a prayer. Eyes upturned. Toward an afterglow …

of hope
each gentle ring
round the moon