ZsaZsa Avenges

The mandarin orb

Benign and Bewitching,

It had all its fruitiness scooped out, as Juan Carter bore through the tinctures of its farm-bred flesh.

Tiny ,  pink fingers  scuttled into the scatters of bread knife, toothpicks and  sterling-silver spoons only to be snapped by his father’s beefy, pumpkin-primrose  hands.

 

“Now, no fooling around Eth!

Daddy is getting Mr. Jack ready!”

 

           Troika eyes                                     Jagged, macabre grin

Dawdled

In the sphere of Persian-vermilion.

Innards lit with

Trifling terracotta urns

Of kindled paraffin oil,

It hung

On ebonite curtain rods

Teasing the dying October air.

 

“Hey pops! This is spooky!”

Carter Sr. was pleased.

“Happy Halloween, son”

 

*~*~NIGHTFALL~*~*

The revelries ebbed away leaving a shriveled Texas neighborhood. The elms groaned on the banks of the Turtle Creek as a colony of spectacled flying foxes descended upon the deserted Dallas streets.

Somewhere in Pemberton Hills, Carter Residence, little Ethan twitched in his sleep. His unmindful lips smacked off Necco-Wafer crumbs he had gobbled in Trick-or-Treat parades.

A sudden, wily chill creaked open the window panes !

Eth wrapped himself tighter in the warlock cloak he was still dressed in.

 

 

Wordless POP!

A four-legged creature loomed on the window sill. It was a

Norwegian Forest Cat.

Ember eyes

And

Furry coat of

Smoky, oriental patterns.

Ethan Carter slept away oblivious to her feline glowers that ogled him. She sneered as she saw Jack- the Pumpkin head, still bobbing amidst swaying nylon sheets.

Her paw rose to meet

Its hanging hollowness.

(A pee-wee cucumber beetle clamored out.)

She pawed again!

Upside down went the lantern!

The urns tumbled!

The linens at the window got smeared in the paraffin-combustion promptly setting off in a yellow-maroon blaze.

 

 

The old Mrs. Connelly woke up squinting at the light from her Cheyenne Road apartment.

“Isn’t that at the Carters’?

Jesus Christ!

Henry! Call the 911!”

 

o~o~THE MORNING AFTER~o~o

Khaki-clad men in round metal caps bustled in the flooded neighborhood. Water still dribbled from the pipes of big, red tanks towards that half-baked Salisbury steak they once called home. The ambulances went bangety-bang as they rushed in to carry off an unconscious five-year old boy. No one heard the oriole singing that day!

 

“I’m sorry to bother you Mr. Carter

But we found these in your son’s room; Might be some animal’s”

Sheriff Jones spoke to a dazed man.

Long, tabby hairs!

* * FLASH BACKS * *

A Monday street

The chauffeur honked its way through

Until a confetti

Of whiskers-n-bones

Dunked under in a squash.

 * * * * * *

“That must be ZsaZsa, the Sebestyén’s cat

But she got ran over...um… last week…by my car.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Author's Note

This was written for Halloween… It’s just one week away I guess, so I decided to publish the poem as a precursor :) As you can see, it is actually a prose-poem… a prosaic form interspersed with poetic verses… I wanted it to give a colorful, picture-postcard feel keeping in mind the celebrations that are about to trigger off, but this is what I have managed… It’s just a simple, no-frills write with some dark humor to offer… bit long, but couldn't help it..let me know if you enjoyed it :)
P.S : I’m a bit busy till the 4th of November ( I have two exams lined up ). So a big sorry if I haven’t been able to attend to your read requests… But I promise to get back to all of you as soon as I wind up things…. Take care and a Happy Halloween in advance :)

Reviews

[carol burgess romance]

Such a very delightful read from begining to end

[spiritwind]

I have never seen such a presentation before
and I totally like it!!!!
Just as I thought "no, that's too much--you've gone too far" I would find myself delighted in the new vista offered by the new window
enjoyed hugely

[Sakshi]

Firstly I should say well done. To write in so many fonts and make it attractive for the readers, its an impressive job.
And a perfect topic- Halloween. Well I am a bit late to review this, its past Christmas, but what the hell, poetry is immortal!! Words remain even after you're dead!

Absolutely enjoyed it. And the brilliance was in the fact that I got to learn a few new words from this.

Thank you for this Aaran!

[Priyanka Natesh]

It's AMAZING! :D I had so much fun reading this! Felt like a kid all over again. I love this piece! Just the right kind of Halloween story (though I've read it rather late :) )
I love it! Love it! Goes into my library :D Thank you :)

[Black Cat Fever]

Wow, I love this. Outstanding descriptions and very creative in the layout. The tale in your poem is very captivating and engaging.

[Cascara (aka Sprint Goe..]

i love your descriptions! it's neat to see poetic beauty perfectly mixed inside a chilling tale

[Coyote Poetry]

Nice photo and artwork. I like the flow of thoughts about my favorite holiday. Kids do have some fun. Thank you for sharing the excellent poem.
Coyote

[michael.c.m]

You've captured the true essence of it and presented it in a colourful and inventive way. Good luck with your exams.

[Arielle Ann]

as I said earlier, this doesnt have words to describe...I loved the tale, its different from the normal spooky ones we usually hear....specially the different fonts and colors....I simply loved it..happy haloween (belated) and all the best for your exams (in advance)!