The Witch Doesn't Burn in This One

by Amanda Lovelace

“the only thing we’re guilty of is being women.”

we shouldn’t be afraid of them. no no no. they should be afraid of us.

i’m afraid i must confess i inherited my mother’s rage & the mother-rage that came before her & all the mother-rage that raced down every branch of our tangled up family tree. - nothing can extinguish me.

gods, i hope i terrify you.

when our abilities became too much, they tried to shut us away in the dark without even a candle to guide us out. little did they know, our woman-rage-fire would light our path home just fine. - you are your own lighthouse.

the man with the witch-killing look in his eyes drinks deeply from the chipped lilac teacup, his trembling hands making it clink against the saucer as he places them back together. my stomach churns in circles as the dark liquid dribbles down his chin in lines. he eagerly slides the cup & dish to me across the old, rickety table & i waste no time turning the cup over onto the dish to get rid of the excess. when i turn the cup right-side up, i spot the clusters of soggy brown & black leaves that litter the bottom in various shapes & sizes. i study it for a moment & immediately look away, nervously wringing my hands in my skirts. there’s no question what that means. “well? what does it say?” he asks. i keep my eyes down. “the leaves say you’re going to . . . pay.” “p-pardon?” he sputters, his eyes filling to the brim with terror. “they say . . . you’re all going to pay,” i whisper. - the leaves never lie.

to be a woman is to be warbound, k n o w i n g all the odds are stacked against you. - & never giving up in spite of it.

they scratched it out of the history books, but on all the great innovations you will find scorch marks in the shape of a woman’s magnificent handprint. do not forget: we need to be the history books now. - women are libraries about to burst.

women don’t endure simply because we can; no, women endure because we aren’t given any other choice. - they wanted us weak but forced us to be strong.

always put yourself first. sacrifice at your own discretion. - coven rule #1.

curves & fat & rolls are a colossal “fuck you” to the patriarchy— our accidental rebellion. - my body rejects your desires.

i am not the one who has to change the way i think or the way i act. they are.

everything is a distraction.

i’m having the nightmare again. the one where the crooked wood comes to life & the tree-man with the sharp, gnarled branches uproots himself from the soil & comes stumbling out after me. i would recognize his face anywhere.

after all these years, he finally gets to be rootless because wicked men are rarely punished for very long. his bark is dry & peeling & his exposed fruit rots from the inside

but what if the devil is just a woman who was banished to hell to stoke the flames as punishment for standing up to him? - lilith.

women are always born on an eclipse.

my self-worth shouldn’t feel like an act of bravery.

don’t you know a woman’s anguish could cause e x p l o s i o n s in other dimensions? - if you don’t, you’re going to find out.

burn whoever tries to burn you. - coven rule #2.

self-love is not an instant nor an overnight evolution, but at least try to open up the windows to let the breeze in every once in awhile.

i will be that voice that tells you to cover your arms with flower petals instead. - your winter will come to an end.

get up, you are nobody’s doormat.

“bitch,” he spits. “witch,” he sneers. & i say, “actually, i’m both.” - reclaim everything.

script for when he tells you to smile: “drop dead.” - confidence is healthy.

in this novel the woman protagonist claims she’s not like those other girls, not because she finds their femininity to be an insult or a weakness, no— it’s because she knows all women have their own unique magic that cannot be replicated by her or any other woman. - the plot twist we’ve all been waiting for.

womanhood doesn’t have to be this twisted competition. let us cultivate womanhood until it grows into sisterhood. we’ll sprinkle lavender seeds into our old wounds until we’re finally h e a l e d. - your sisters are not your enemies.

we must help lift each other above the flames. - women supporting women.

say it with me now: “women owe me nothing. not anything. not one thing.” - dear men.

i didn’t come here to be civil. i didn’t come here to sit you down with a mug of tea & a blueberry muffin to coddle you as i try to convince you that respecting my existence is essential. you’ve had plenty of chances & you took a hard pass every time, so i came here to watch your anger overtake until you finally c o m b u s t. - i’ll use your light to read.

misogyny /mə 'säj ənē/ noun 1: the power-driven hatred of women. 2: just the way things are. misandry /mi ' sandre/ noun 1: the reactionary, self-preserving hatred of men. 2: somehow this is going too far.

how exquisite the new life was that she built from his blackened bones.

don’t be scared. even if you don’t believe in yourself, i believe. i’ve always believed in you. you know just what to do.

i know about that voice inside you. yes, i know all about the woman who’s been screaming her whole life for the chance to be heard by someone. take this pen from me & uncage her. - you owe this to yourself.