Devil Sighting in Kidron, Ohio
by Deborah Byrne
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The women stir cauldrons
of apple butter in rhythm to screams.
They don't look up as windows shatter and animal howls
strike loose the last leaves of a sugar maple.
I am told this is how the Amish take care of their insane.
They keep them at home.
The Lord makes the insane, the Lord's people
complete the task by giving them the body.
There are no cures, no drugs. Just prayers
and restraints when things get bad.
But today, as the last of the hay is brought back to the barn
and we're handed jars of apple butter too hot to handle,
A man's voice calls out through the broken windows
tells us the devil rides on our backs.
And we believe.
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