Halloween

Somebody said it was Halloween

I hadn’t a clue till then,

But the street was full of pumpkin heads

Carved out, with the candles in,

And the kids kept saying ‘trick or treat’

Though I didn’t know what for,

They must have thought I was pretty dumb

As I shooed them away from my door.

Then Mandy came out dressed as a witch

With a cloak and a pointy hat,

And waving a broom they call a ‘swish’,

‘So what is the point of that?’

‘Tonight the witches fly to their mass,

Under a harvest moon,

Shut your eyes as the broomsticks pass

Or they’ll put you to sleep, till noon.’

I thought I’d better prepare myself

So broke out my scatter gun,

The moment a witch would show herself

I swore that I’d have some fun,

With Jack O’ Lanterns the only light

As the night grew evil and dark,

I almost forgot that we lived next door

To the Mountainous Ski-Lift Park.

There wasn’t a Moon that eerie night,

It must have been hid by a cloud,

I could hear the chatter of witches, laughing,

How could they be so loud?

At midnight all of the chatter stopped

And everything went so still,

Just as the Moon popped out of the cloud

And the witches flew over the hill.

I saw their shapes up against the sky

Riding their broomsticks there,

With warty noses and pointy hats

And horrible tangled hair,

I didn’t think, I just raised my gun

And I blasted a spray of shot,

And watched each witch as she fell to earth

Whether they would, or not.

Mandy screamed and she seized the gun,

Ripped it out of my hands,

‘Have you gone crazy, what have you done?’

She wouldn’t cease her demands.

‘I saw them flying, up on their brooms,

I blew them out of the air.’

‘They didn’t fly, they just held on tight

Under the Ski-Lift chair.’

Whenever Halloween comes around

I tend to stay in my room,

And woe betide any witch that tries

Approaching me with a broom,

While Mandy locks up my scatter gun,

(That’s the one thing that will chafe),

Then goes to the witches at the door,

‘Yes, the Ski-Lift chair is safe!’

David Lewis Paget

Reviews

[Barbz]

My Goodness, you actually turned Halloween into Horrorween. Obviously unaware of the traditional carved and lit pumpkins and the eerily costumed children begging "Trick or Treat" that you "shooed away from your door"......and the Witches!! Oh, the warty nosed, pointy hatted witches on their brooms, not a sight for your sore eyes or imagination.....Mandy didn't expect that you would raise your gun and spew the shot as they fell to the ground , from the Chair Lift of all things!! The Witches shall continue to appear each Halloween, you know, the night that you remain confined to your room, fearful of their arrival or approach.Very amusing and timely... Well done, DLP...Barbz

[Debbie_Philly]

Wow...great writing...really . ⚘

[andrew mitchell]

haha as you scare us with your tale I picture you weaving this story with a smile hence I laugh as you twist the reader! LOL:)

[A Soap Mess Stories]

A frightful tale for Halloween. Excellent.

[Bill Deathshoes]

Wow, that was good! Really enjoyed the poem, it kept me entertained!

[peterm306]

Very entertaining poem. I found it to flow nicely, and it had a nice lilt to it. Highly enjoyable.

[R Smith]

oh my David, you brought down the ski lift haha, I guess all those skis sticking up must have resembled broomsticks, was a good laugh had by me, not a fan of Halloween I'm afraid, call me an old meany but it seems like trick or treat is a minor form of extortion LOL Guess I'm just a misery guts huh, more great tale telling my friend :)

[Calamityofgin]

See.. This is exactly why i traded my "swish" in for a Hoover. Jes cuz ima witch doesn't mean i gotta fly behind the times..and i find the noise wards off surprise arrow and gunfire.
This was a blast! Rhyme was your b***h here..there are rhyme snobs out there..that wont "abide" it..think free verse is more intellectual..f**k em. Ever heard of Shakespeare or Poe a******s? I think Rhyme is harder to do really well..and you do..it really well.

Fun fact..halloween is totally made up from the 30s.
The holy day all saints.or hallows.is the night before and coincidental. A lady during the deppression made a deal with rotten kids for a candy truse and the rest is history.
Jack o lantern however has actual historical reference..Great B i believe..a man so bad it was said even the devil wouldnt have him was rumored to roam and terrorise the countryside. A pagean tradition still existed to carve a person into a living thing "pumpkin" and use a light to warn and ward him off...dudes name was Jack..carved into lit pumpkin..Jack o lantern...

I wildly digress...but this was terrific and mih favorite story ive read on this site.

Love
Calamity of Jennifer

[boonfoxx]

Reminds me of one Halloween in Breckenridge, Colorado... damn that cannabis!

[Lyndy]

This is interesting. I love this poem. :)

[Valentine]

This is so funny and witty. I do not know how many countries celebrate Halloween [All Hallows Eve] but kids here have a very fun time going door to door. Many churches have a special night of fun to keep the kids off of the streets where it is safe. Probably from those witches or his scatter gun. Valentine