The Darkest Halloween

Free Verse

The Darkest Halloween

Under cloak of a midnight sky,

on Halloween, the moon was full.

An eerie sight soon caught my eye,

I viewed his body being pulled.

The dirt unearthed, was moist, and fresh,

once the grave where he'd been placed.

A man of forty, so I'd guessed,

I could, just barely, see his face.

When I moved in closer still,

five tombstones there surrounded me,

and chanting in the night air filled,

the prophesies of mystery.

On this day, so prophesied,

chanting of a thousand witches,

would raise the dead from all the tombs,

all the morgues and crypts and ditches.

At the stroke of twelve, or so,

while stirring fast strange witches brew,

their voices filled the midnight hour,

and chanted 'til the stroke of two.

Potions, cauldrons, signs of death,

raised my hair, as I held my breath.

"Ravens, Banshees, Owls and Trolls,

raise the bones of forty souls."

Witches moved to form an arc,

and in the center placed the man,

then dripped the blood of forty larks,

that severed both his lifeless hands.

When the chanting nearly ceased,

his hands began to fly like bats

and to the air were doves released,

soon followed by black howling cats.

Beyond fear, I was a wreck.

I told my feet to pick up steam,

but one hand grabbed me 'round the neck,

on this, the darkest Halloween.

So, next time as you walk alone,

in the dark, on a moonlit night,

remember the rest of his bones,

are out there to fill you with fright.

The witches "sign of the five,"

are points of a star bringing death.

At this moment you're still alive,

while I am still catching my breath.

Each Halloween at midnight,

his body still roams, that's no joke.

His hands are still able to fly,

and next time they'll fly at your throat.

Reviews

[Jaskaran Singh Sethi]

Beautiful portrayal of Halloween.Thoroughly enjoyed reading it.keep on it.keep churning out more and more of such beautiful stuff

[Tamara Beryl Latham]

Thank you Jaskaran for having taken the time to read and offer a reply. :)

[Jaskaran Singh Sethi]

Thanks mate

[Tamara Beryl Latham]

You're welcome. :)

[Neville]

the very stuff of nightmares, darn near scared the pants off me.. gonna sleep under the mattress tonight and wear a crash helmet just to be on the safe side..... N

[Tamara Beryl Latham]

Too funny Neville. Hope we don't have a full moon. Thanks for your input. :)

[Neville]

my pleasure..... Neville

[Chris Shaw]

Fabulous spooky and frightening Halloween story. Very nicely conveyed. You certainly have a talent for this type of writing Tamara. Your lines flowed well. Now those flying hands, I might just be dreaming of them tonight :)

Chris

[Tamara Beryl Latham]

Thank you for your comments, Christine, but please don't have nightmares about the flying hands. :)

[john l smith]

This is great
All in the spirit of spooks and goblins which is also a theme I will pursue for the remainder of the month
Happy haunting
John

[Tamara Beryl Latham]

Thanks, John and Happy haunting to you as well. :)

[θεά]

You are more than a gifted writer, you are extraordinarily special, Tamara. You've raised a complete Halloweenesque spectacle while keeping to the chosen meter without faltering for a moment. Your concluding lines remind one of Macbeth's coven of witches and you've transported the reader to a chilly, ghoulish night.

Keep writing, and enthralling your readers.

Best,
M.

[Tamara Beryl Latham]

Thank you, Malika. You are too kind, but I appreciate your comments. :)

[¿]

I can smell halloween in your poem with so much frightening enthusiasm!
I wasn't feeling "I don't wanna read" even for a moment well actually I loved how it rhymed...
This went energetic all the way and reminding that Halloween is on it's way!
Thanks for sharing this great read, Tamara :)

[Tamara Beryl Latham]

Thanks Tahsin. I'm so happy you enjoyed the poem and I appreciate your feedback. :)

[¿]

Indeed 'twas! You're warmly welcome :)

[Coyote Poetry]

A very enjoyable poem. A wonderful Halloween poem. I liked the energy leading to the proper ending. Thank you Tamara for sharing the amazing poetry.
Coyote

[Tamara Beryl Latham]

No, thank you Coyote Poetry for adding a commentary. I certainly appreciate your input. :)