it takes a village

when

i hear the phrase,

it takes a village.

i think

of the movie village

of the damned,

blue eyed and blonde

haired children,

perhaps aliens

wreaking havoc.

or the village idiot,

the bell ringer in the church

tower.

misshaped

and bug eyed.

i think of thatched houses

that can barely

withstand

the wind.

i think of cobble stone

streets

and chimneys.

maybe a horse and carriage,

and an old

man

smoking a pipe,

eyeing you suspiciously,

being new

in town.

i think of Salem

and the dunking chair,

lowering

a new witch into the stream.