Finally exhausted of arbitrary demands,
the ultimatum came to the table,
slouching, like Yeats’s beast on the way to Bethlehem,
prefaced with “maybe” and “probably won’t happen,”
It’s all she ever wanted: to erase me from your life, while you lavish attention
on her little dog, tell her she’s the only woman in the world,
pay an exorbitant premium
to ensure this house of cards
kills a witch
when it tumbles down.
About the Creator
Harper Lewis
I'm a weirdo nerd who’s extremely subversive. I like rocks, incense, and all kinds of witchy stuff. Intrusive rhyme bothers me.
I’m known as Dena Brown to the revenuers and pollsters.
MA English literature, College of Charleston
Reader insights
Outstanding
Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!
Top insights
Compelling and original writing
Creative use of language & vocab
Easy to read and follow
Well-structured & engaging content
Eye opening
Niche topic & fresh perspectives
Heartfelt and relatable
The story invoked strong personal emotions
Masterful proofreading
Zero grammar & spelling mistakes
On-point and relevant
Writing reflected the title & theme
Keep reading
More stories from Harper Lewis and writers in Poets and other communities.
The Ritual of Winter Challenge Winners
Welcome to the Winners Announcement for The Ritual of Winter challenge. This prompt focused on winter rituals and the meaning that settles into them over time. The top pieces stay grounded in ordinary acts and repeated routines, letting winter shape the work through pace, attention, and restraint.
By Vocal Curation Team4 days ago in Resources
Comments (10)
Emotions so deeply heartfelt, resonates with so many. Kudos on the spotlight.
A powerful bit of poetic art, Harper. Congratulations on being spotlighted in the Raise Your Voice Thread with this wonderful piece. Well done.
Intriguing poem… emotive.
This comment has been deleted
Love the imagery in this poem and the raw emotion. Wonderfully written.
This feels brittle in the best way, like everything is about to collapse at once.
Sharp, biting, and beautifully controlled. The imagery lands hard, and that final turn is devastating in the best way.
Oops, wrong link. https://shopping-feedback.today/writers/bloody-mary-for-your-soul-with-the-possibility-of-a-prize-if-you-play-along%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cdiv class="css-w4qknv-Replies">
The allusions, the metaphor "house of cards," the sarcasm, and the ironic tone ("kills a witch" and "tumbles down") show that you know exactly where to reach to bring a visceral imagery of how you feel. No abstract thought was found here. I understand and felt your misery and their treachery. ♥️🤗🖤
Pretty good!
Another great one. Well done lass. I'm a fan. I bet tragic princess can't write like you.