The Crags

A Crag a name that’s often given,
To some may know as witchcraft women,
Who live amount the Cheviot hills,
Brewing teas and making spells,
The oldest crag of ninety nine,
With scratty hair and eyes blue blind,
She has for ailments a drinking potion,
For fertile wombs and bones t’ broken,
For seeing things she has a gift,
As the future she can oft predict,
In times of trouble and times of plight,
And when the moon is mostly bright,
They take their baskets and walk the wood,
Whispering chants and casting good.

This is my C poem for the A to Z challenge.
http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com

My A-Z is based on Northumberland, and the myths and monsters that lurk within.

The Crags of Northumberland are sort of cliffs, up near Alnwick. But I thought they sound more like witches of the woods.

My poems kind of lead onto one another so I do suggest you read the poem before it to get the gist.

Where Magic Lies…

The angels guard the skies at night,
As the stars they lend their mystic light,
Fairy folk and pixie tribes,
Make our flowers come alive.

The tree their village all unknown,
But to a dreamer all is shown,
Evil spirits banned from here,
for black magic is their biggest fear.

The enchanted dance makes nature smile,
you sit and dream and go a mile,
As racing imps ride dragon flies,
Around the woods where magic lies.

This is from my dusty old red book, I’m unsure when I wrote it but it caught my eye today so I thought I would share it! 🙂

The Fairytale of the Tooth People

Watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who do not believe in magic will never find it
– Roald Dahl

Have you ever wondered?
Why a fairy would want some teeth?
To sneak under your pillow?
And swap for 50p?

As my tooth began to wobble,
And wobble as teeth can,
I thought up a new idea,
I hatched an evil plan!

These fairy folk that invade my bed,
And take things as I sleep,
I will catch these thieving creatures,
And ask about my teeth!

I wriggled, I prodded, I brushed, I bit,
Until it fell right out my head,
And I popped my little pearly white,
Under the pillow on my bed.

I lay that night with eyes tight shut,
Pretending to be asleep,
Soon, maybe, I might have caught,
A fairy of mine to keep!

And caught I did, in a jar,
My fairy that very night,
I peeped through the glass,
As I sealed the lid on tight.

These Mythical fairy people,
Are not as expected they’d be like,
They’re wrinkly and quite ugly,
And about three inches in height.

She wasn’t pink and pretty,
Or as cheerful as they say,
She was a tiny little old lady,
In a magic kind of way.

So I got up really close,
And looked her straight in the eye,
I shouted “you have took my tooth”,
“And I want to know well… Why?”

She didn’t answer my question,
But instead gave out a grumble,
“This isn’t going to be easy”,
I said with a sort of mumble.

So I brought my fairy a cupcake,
To offer a kind of truce,
But she turned up her little nose,
And said “that will rot my tooth”

I told the tiny lady,
Help me if you please,
To solve this little mystery
And I promise to set you free.

“It’s strange to me – A human,
Why imps would steal a tooth,
But please tell me the reason,
I’d like to know the truth.”

She looked at me through her glasses,
Which rested upon her nose,
Then she sat upon a thimble,
And said this it how it goes…

I will tell you tiny human,
All you want to know,
The story of your teeth,
But then you must let me go.

My fairy people need me,
And there’s plenty to be done,
So set me free by sunrise,
Cos I’m allergic to the sun.

As she told the story,
She whizzed around my room,
And told me that her people
Live right up on the moon.

I listened to what she said
But it came as a bit of a shock,
“You cannot live on the moon,
Why there’s nothing there but rock!”

”Hidden in a crater,
In the shadows and the dark,
Rest our fairy village.
And it’s called the fae park.”

That’s nonsense I repeated,
Cos fairies live in the woods,
She assured me that they didn’t,
And would show me if she could.

“These fairies you’ve been told about,
Or read about in books,
They collect the food we eat,
They’re called the mushroom troops.”

They pick the poisonous mushrooms,
The ones you cannot eat,
And bring them back to fae town,
Where we have a fae feast.

Each Fairy has purpose,
I collect your tooth,
I take it back to fae ville,
To build and repair our roof.

Our ancesters discovered,
They were perfect cos they’re strong,
Nobody really wants them,
And you don’t use them when they’re gone.

From houses to our bridges,
And every arch we walk through,
We stick it all together,
With gum and dental glue!

But, the brightest teeth of all,
The most brilliant and most white,
We place up in the sky,
To be the stars at night.

I listened in fascination,
As she neared the end,
For the story here before you,
You must thank my fairy friend.

She had kept her promise,
So I kept mine too,
I opened up the window,
And out the fairy flew.

So next time your tooth does wobble,
And wobble as teeth can,
Place that tooth under your pillow,
For the fairy folk to have.