MENU

Sections

  • Home
  • About
    • The Chestertown Spy
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising & Underwriting
      • Advertising Terms & Conditions
    • Editors & Writers
    • Dedication & Acknowledgements
    • Code of Ethics
    • Chestertown Spy Terms of Service
    • Technical FAQ
    • Privacy
  • The Arts and Design
  • Local Life and Culture
  • Public Affairs
    • Ecosystem
    • Education
    • Health
  • Community Opinion
  • Donate to the Chestertown Spy
  • Free Subscription
  • Talbot Spy
  • Cambridge Spy

More

  • Support the Spy
  • About Spy Community Media
  • Advertising with the Spy
February 4, 2023

The Chestertown Spy

An Educational News Source for Chestertown Maryland

  • Home
  • About
    • The Chestertown Spy
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising & Underwriting
      • Advertising Terms & Conditions
    • Editors & Writers
    • Dedication & Acknowledgements
    • Code of Ethics
    • Chestertown Spy Terms of Service
    • Technical FAQ
    • Privacy
  • The Arts and Design
  • Local Life and Culture
  • Public Affairs
    • Ecosystem
    • Education
    • Health
  • Community Opinion
  • Donate to the Chestertown Spy
  • Free Subscription
  • Talbot Spy
  • Cambridge Spy
Arts Delmarva Review Top Story

Delmarva Review: The Wicked Witch of the West by Jona Colson

January 8, 2022 by Delmarva Review

Share

Author’s Note: “The Wizard of Oz was probably one of the first movies I ever watched, and I loved the Wicked Witch. Often, villains are my favorite part of narratives, and she terrified me—her laugh, her power, her relentlessness. The poem is not an origin story, but something from her point of view; a poem that somehow became delicate and sympathetic. How different would the story be if Dorothy had just given her the shoes?”

Editor’s Note: Jona Colson’s poem is read live and featured in a public radio broadcast on Delmarva Public Media, “Delmarva Today.” Editors of the Delmarva Review discuss the content of the new edition. Link to the podcast: https://www.delmarvapublicmedia.org/post/delmarva-today-01-07-2022-part-two

The Wicked Witch of the West

All I wanted was my sister’s shoes—
the conjuring pair of ruby-studded slippers 

to remind me of her before the farmhouse
plunged down and struck in mid-spell. 

I had no intention of hunting
the girl and her dog, 

or the three ignorant friends she made.
I do not like to use my power. 

All comes back three-fold
in buckets of water that drown me. 

I can see all of my mistakes.
No one is forever loyal, 

not even guards or monkeys
that I winged in a rush of gratitude. 

♦ 

Jona Colson’s poetry collection, Said Through Glass, won the 2018 Jean Feldman Poetry Prize from the Washington Writers’ Publishing House. He is also the poetry editor of This Is What America Looks Like: Poetry and Fiction from D.C., Maryland, and Virginia (WWPH, 2021). His poems, translations, and interviews have appeared in Ploughshares, Prairie Schooner, The Writer’s Chronicle, and elsewhere. He teaches in Maryland and lives in Washington, DC. Website: jonacolson.com 

Delmarva Review, Volume 14, publishes new poetry, fiction, and nonfiction from seventy authors that stood out from thousands of submissions during the year.  The nonprofit review is available in print and digital editions from Amazon.com and other major online booksellers, as well as from regional specialty bookstores. 

Funding support comes from individual tax-deductible contributions, sales, and a public grant from Talbot Arts with revenues from the Maryland State Arts Council. Website: delmarvareview.org.

 

Filed Under: Delmarva Review, Top Story

Chesapeake Lens: Snow on Greenwood Creek by M. O’Brien In Remembrance: WC First Lady Libby Anderson Cater Halaby

Letters to Editor

  1. Shirley Hilton says

    February 27, 2022 at 10:09 AM

    I love this! A story told from a different point of view. Clever and fun, but also a reminder that we often assume we know others’ motivations. Wonderful!

Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article

We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.

Copyright © 2023

Affiliated News

  • The Cambridge Spy
  • The Talbot Spy

Sections

  • Arts
  • Culture
  • Ecosystem
  • Education
  • Health
  • Local Life and Culture
  • Spy Senior Nation

Spy Community Media

  • About
  • Subscribe
  • Contact Us
  • Advertising & Underwriting

Copyright © 2023 · Spy Community Media Child Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in