This has that old haunted-ballad feel in the best way. “The Devil came that morn in June” pulls you in right away, and from there the whole thing keeps its dark, steady rhythm. The image of her building and building, trapped in “mortar’s song” and lost inside “some unending dream,” is especially strong.

I also liked the sadness under the gothic surface. The Devil almost doesn’t need to do much, she ruins herself through fear, guilt, and hunger, and that gives the poem more depth than a simple ghost tale. Creepy, tragic, and beautifully told.