The Old Crone In The Woods Poem by David Welch

I.
It was in 1554
that young Liesel watched her little nice die,
a fever had swept through Bavaria,
and from her tiny frame all life did fly.

She wasn't the first, many died that year,
but at the funeral for that little girl
Liesel was to see something so shocking
that it would forever alter her world.

She saw there, at the edge of the churchyard,
where the woods crowded up against the sward,
a shrunken, old woman, wearing a cape,
something about her filled Liesel with horror.

She could not get a good look at her face,
thanks to a big hood that cast shadows deep,
but she learned on a cane, sere and ancient,
and up her spine Liesel felt worry creep.

Nobody else appeared to notice her,
the service went on, the priest duly prayed,
it appeared to Liesel that no other
fought with the sudden urge to run away.

And when the time came for all to disperse
the fell woman was still standing right there,
they left to the sounds of dirt hitting wood,
Liesel was relieved, but still felt despair.

Later that night, looking out her window,
from up above her father's blacksmith shop,
she saw a figure out in the churchyard,
'twas the old woman, her heart nearly stopped!

Why did she stand over her niece's grave,
it was at this moment she realized
that the dead babe's soul was greatly at risk,
she'd been so young that she'd not been baptized!

She spent the night hiding under the sheets,
so terrified that her knees were shaking,
ran down the next morning to tell her mom
of the old woman, the grave, everything.

Her mother listened with a solemn face,
and stroked Liesel's hand to help her calm down,
then said, "That woman has been seen before,
when children pass, she often comes around.

"You know when a child dies unbaptized
there souls are condemned to go to Limbo,
some have whispered that she brings them down there,
and it's where you brother's child must go.

"It is best that you ask no more questions,
forgetting what you've seen would do you well,
turn your thoughts to God, and remember not
to meddle with servants sent out from Hell."

Liesel walked away even more confused,
people knew of this and they did not act?
a hellspawned creature was stealing young souls,
and the people just ignored or stepped back?

How cold the priests allow such things to be?
How could such an abomination stand?
And how could God himself send the innocent
to spent eternity amongst the damned?

II.
Liesel spent months worrying about this,
about dark minions and young souls that hurt,
she even started fearing for herself
for questioning the teachings of the church.

She did not want to damn herself to Hell,
but she couldn't believe that it was true
that a loving God would punish children
for something that they themselves couldn't do.

How did it make sense that helpless infants
could be punished due to their parents?
Why would they suffer for another's sins,
how in the world did such a thing make sense?

But Liesel kept this turmoil inside,
and tried to just keep on living her life,
didn't tell of doubts that haunted her thoughts,
or worried dreams that kept hear up at night.

It all came to a head six months later,
her neighbor's new baby died in his sleep,
The town gathered up for the funeral,
to weep loudly, and to pour out their grief.

Liesel loitered near the back of the crowd,
every so often she glanced to the woods,
until finally she saw the woman,
and decided she'd settle this for good.

She crept out of her parent's house that night,
made her way slowly down to the churchyard,
at midnight the old crone walked to the grave,
and from her cloak removed some sort of jar.

She opened it and stood there quietly
for a long moment, then shuffled away,
Liesel followed, determined that somehow
she would not make this foul demon pay.

Through a dark forest of eldritch oak trees,
where brushy undergrowth scratched at her skirts,
across gurgling streams that wet her feet,
down dark ravines where the wolfpacks still lurked.

Amidst calling owls loud in the night,
she followed that old crone through the wild,
she kept a good distance, forty paces,
her feet bled, and she wheezed from the trial.

Finally she came upon a small glade,
to the center of it the crone did go,
right to an old cabin that rose up there,
Over the door was a sign that said ‘Limbo.'

Her heart froze as the old woman walked in,
she saw the briefest flash of light from inside,
all of her reason screamed out, ‘You should run! '
But she couldn't, no matter how hard she tried.

Some great force acted deep within her soul,
she couldn't say if for good of for ill,
but Liesel found herself approaching the door,
simply a pawn to some powerful will…

III.
Lost in a daze, but her fingers still shaking,
Liesel turned the great brass knob on the door,
she felt herself tense, was ready to shriek,
expecting to see some Satanic horror.

Instead she found herself looking into
a cozy great room with a massive hearth,
yule logs burned hot, warming up the whole space,
a great table ran down the center part.

Many children sat there, all about five years,
on the table in front of them was a feast,
some looked at her, amazement in their eyes,
the others just seemed quite eager to eat.

In front of it the crone took off her cloak,
and Liesel gasped as the ancient face changed
into a woman of just forty years,
her poor mind struggled to keep up, in vain.

The woman was handsome, and smiled warmly,
when she said, "Liesel, don't let in cold air.
Please do come in, we have plenty for you.
Now children, please go get our guest a chair."

Liesel shut the door as the children moved,
within a minute they got her a seat.
She sat down still much too stunned to react,
then said the woman, "We've new friends to meet."

She took our the jar she'd had at the grave
and slowly removed the bung from the top,
out came a mist that seemed to move and glow,
Liesel shielded her eyes until it stopped.

There besides the woman stood a small boy,
he seemed frightened, but the woman bent low,
then hugged the child, said, "Heinrich, my sweet,
you've nothing to fear when you're in my home."

The boy relaxed, and was led to a seat,
Liesel watched and asked, "What is going on?
How can a child appear from a jar?
Why are they all here? Why does this not feel wrong? "

The woman sat at the heart of the feast,
and said, "What is ‘wrong' with what God had ordained?
Do you think he'd forget the unbaptized,
That he would punish souls so free of blame? "

The words hit Liesel like a hammer blow,
said the woman, "For about two centuries,
I've been looking out for unbaptized souls,
since, on my deathbed, the Lord came to me.

"He asked if I would delay paradise
to see to these children who died so young.
he makes them flesh, they stay for one year,
and I teach them about the Holy One.

"Come the year's end, the local priest arrives,
to christen the kids who now know of God,
then they ascend, and I start again,
it is a path I am grateful to trod."

Liesel just gawked, her mind still rebelling,
not accepting what her soul now did know.
The woman continued, "Oh yes, your niece
is besides you, and wants to say ‘hello.'"

IV.
Liesel looked down to the girl by her side,
her brother's features were perfectly clear,
she hugged the small girl, and her fears vanished,
replaced by a cascade of happy tears.

She look up and cried, "Tell me, what's your name?
Who is it that care for kids after death? "
The woman replied, "In life I was known
as a Duchess from Munich, Elsebeth."

Liesel's eyes went wide with realization,
"I know that name! They say you had twelve children! "
"Thirteen, "she said, "I think that's why he chose me,
I had experience mothering them.'

Then Liesel frowned, a dark thought occurring,
"If you are dead, and these children are too,
then am I not dead? Is that how I could
pick up your trail and easily follow you? "

Elsebeth saw real fear there in her eyes,
and said, "Do not fear, you are living yet.
He probably let you pick up my trail
so He could find a replacement, I'd bet.

"I have delayed my entry to Heaven,
but even this is a matter of time.
Maybe He wanted you to see all this,
the next caretaker He wanted to find.

"But I wouldn't let that weight on your thoughts,
you are quite young, and not even a wife,
children and family lay before you,
so go out and live a good, happy life.

"But not right away, we have all this food,
and a bed where you tonight can sleep safe.
Come on children, help me carve up this goose,
another gift of our God's endless grace! "

And so they did eat, and come the next day,
Liesel hugged her nice before she did depart,
never again could she find that cabin,
though it was never that far from her heart.

And in coming years, when children died young,
and all would sadly tromp out to their grave,
Liesel would look to the woods for the crone,
then give dear Elsebeth a friendly wave.