The Sanderson Sisters

Limericks three to describe the witches that be...

There once was a witch named Winifred
Who did not want to be nearly dead
So she bossed round her sisters
And fought all resisters
In hopes of becoming not really dead.


There once was a witch named Sarah
Who thought she was always the farer
She stole her sister's boyfriend
And this would never mend
As Winifred sowed him shut under terra

There once was a witch named Mary
Whose head was so full and airy
She could smell children out
That gave her some clout
But that didn't save her from a coronary.


Line count = 15
3 Limericks each about one of the Sanderson Witches.

Notes ▶︎

Written for "13 Poetic Days of Halloween Contest 2025" 
Day 10 Limerick
A Limerick is a rhymed humorous or nonsense poem of five lines which originated in Limerick, Ireland. The Limerick has a set rhyme scheme of : a-a-b-b-a with a syllable structure of: 9-9-6-6-9. The rhythm of the poem should go as follows: Lines 1, 2, 5: weak, weak, STRONG, weak, weak, STRONG, weak, weak, STRONG, weak, weak Lines 3, 4: weak, weak, STRONG, weak, weak, STRONG, weak, weak This is the most commonly heard first line of a limerick: "There once was a man from Nantucket."

For this day, you'll need to write 3 limericks one about Winifred (Bette Midler), one about Mary (Kathy Najimy) and one about Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker)

Topic-- Three words: the Sanderson sisters. While the Disney comedy features an amusing storyline on Halloween night in present-day Salem, Mass., home of the Salem Witch Trials, it’s truly Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker’s performances as the trio of diabolical witches that make the feature a Halloween cult classic. Who could forget Midler singing “I Put a Spell on You” as the buck-toothed Winifred Sanderson? From an immortal talking black cat to a zombie ex-boyfriend, “Hocus Pocus” proves that a film doesn’t have to be horrifying in order to capture the spooky aura of the Halloween season. — M.Z. Movie- Hocus Pocus 1993