Summary

The speaker recalls embarking into the night as a witch possessed by evil spirits, flying over houses in a state of transcendence. This person isn’t a woman in the traditional sense, yet the speaker feels a kinship with her. She reflects on keeping house inside a cave, cooking and cleaning; this type of woman is oversimplified by others. Finally, the speaker recounts riding in a cart as she was taken away and tortured. However, she was not shamed or frightened by death. The speaker relates to all these historic women.

Analysis

The poem opens with the phrase “I have” (Line 1), a past tense action which is used anaphorically to open and close each stanza. The speaker describes what first appears to be a memory: she became “possessed” (Line 1) in the way witches were once believed to be possessed or led by the devil...