The courtroom was packed as the verdict was delivered

The quiet defendant sat paralysed in disbelief

Her hands would be severed, she would be hung and then burnt



I turned to console her but she was already being ushered away

Her life had never been an easy one

Forced to procreate like beasts in dark stables

She wept whenever she laid her head down to sleep



To escape would be her only refuge

From this trivial life she had been forced to lead

Her lover's empty promises

Drove her towards these drastic measures

Her timeline was ticking with the spring thaw quickly approaching

Aware that she would be whisked away with the free flowing currents



She had to react



The tiny witness who pointed her out

Giggles today as she walks towards the schoolhouse

But Angelique had no freedom ever since that gavel fell

The shovel full of coals is what persuaded the judge



At the gallows she stood before them

With quivering lips she begged for absolution

But when the hangman tripped the switch

Her body finally fell towards it's fate

Afterwards the empty carcass was flunt upon the pyre

Her neighbors and comrades all watched as the hem of her skirt ignited

They all cheered with glee as the flames consumed her