A Poem for Each Day until Halloween

[Cadaverino]

I wish I could write
"An Ode To The Pumpkin" but
what rhymes with orange?

Door hinge.

I squeezed the orange
In the door hinge

[One Eye'd Jack]

CADAVERINO!!!!! I am LAUGHING with glee!
There are very few words in the english that actually HAVE NO rhymes to them.
I was always told that 'orange' was one of them, and I believed it.........
Until now!

TOUCHE!!!!!!

I've noticed that since you've been on the board, I've really been watching my syntax, grammar and punctuation. I'm a real stickler for that kind of thing, myself and you're obviously even more on top of it than I.

Uh.......... THANKS!

[spookyboo]

I was happy to log in and see three new poems ...thanks Laurie sad but poignant
Magickbean very dark I loved it and thislazylife I liked your haiku orange! especially

solitary and lonely
I sit upon the hill
I wanted someone to pick me
but I dont think that they will

I watched all day as people came
and took away all the others
laughing happy familys
Children with thier fathers and thier Mothers

Perhaps I am misshapen
or they dont like my rough spot
I just hope I am taken
and not left here to rot

A moaning wind rustles
through this nearly empty patch
the sun is going down
my sadness has no match

I look around to my surprise
and what is it do I see
but a smiling little girl
has finally come to pick me

[Laurie Strode]

I really like that one, Spookyboo.

This one presents a cool 'Ghost Rider' type image...my son who believes himself to be Davy Jones (quite often) will probably love reading this one day.


THE FLYING DUTCHMAN

We met the Flying Dutchman,
By midnight he came,
His hull was all of hell fire,
His sails were all aflame;
Fire on the main-top,
Fire on the bow,
Fire on the gun-deck,
Fire down below.


Four-and-twenty dead men,
Those were the crew,
The devil on the bowsprit,
Fiddled as she flew,
We gave her the broadside,
Right in the dip,
Just like a candle,
Went out the ship.

--CHARLES GODFREY LELAND

[Laurie Strode]

(I'm working on a few originals here, but they need more fine-tuning before I have the nerve to post them along with the experts'...)


A MIDNIGHT VISITOR

After all the house is dark,
And the last soft step is still,
And the elm-bough's clear-cut shadow
Flickers on the window sill—


When the village lights are out,
And the watch-dogs all asleep,
And the misty silver radiance
Makes the shade look black and deep—


When, so silent is the night,
Not a dead leaf dares to fall,
And I only hear the death-watch
Ticking, ticking in the wall—


When no hidden mouse dares gnaw
At the silence dead and dumb,
And the very air seems waiting
For a Something that should come—


Suddenly, there stands my guest,
Whence he came I cannot see;
Not a door has swung before him,
Not a hand touched latch or key,


Not a rustle stirred the air;
Yet he stands there, brave and mute,
In his eyes a look of greeting,
In his hand an old-time flute.


Then, with all the courtly grace
Of the old Colonial school,
From the curtain-shadowed corner
Forth he draws a three-legged stool—


(Ah, it was not there before!
Search as closely as I may,
I can never, never find it
When I look for it by day!)


Places it beside my bed,
And while silently I gaze
Spell-bound by his mystic presence,
Seats himself thereon and plays.


Gracious, stately, grave and tall,
Always dressed from crown to toe
In the quaint elaborate fashion
Of a hundred years ago.


Doublet, small-clothes, silk-clocked hose;
Wears my midnight melodist,
Snowy ruffles in his bosom,
Snowy ruffles at his wrist.


Silver buckle at his knee,
Silver buckle on his shoe;
Powdered hair smoothed back and plaited
In a stiff old-fashioned queue.


If I stir he vanishes;
If I speak he flits away;
If I lie in utter silence,
He will sit for hours and play;


Play old wailing minor airs,
Melancholy, wild and slow,
Such, mayhap, as pleased the maidens
Of a hundred years ago.


All in vain I wait to hear
Ghostly histories of wrong
Unconfessed and unforgiven,
Unavenged and suffered long;


Not a story does he tell,
Not a single word he says—
Only sits and gazes at me
Steadily, and plays and plays.


Who is he, my midnight guest?
Wherefore does he haunt me so;
Coming from the misty shadows
Of a hundred years ago?

--Elizabeth Akers Allen

[MHooch]

OOOHHH, Laurie, I LIKE that one!!!

Can't you just SEE him????

Thanks for sharing!

[Haunted Horseman]

I like that one a lot Laurie. Can't wait to read your originals.

[MichaelMyers]

Ok-so my Halloween Gift Exchange Partner-JACKRYAN592 sent me the most fabulous Vintage Halloween Childrens Magazines as part of my gift! There are all kind of fun stories, poems, decoration cut outs, etc in them....so here is the poem inside the front cover from one. It is from Jack and Jill Magazine October 1956:

Halloween Rebus
A is for Apples that hang on strings,
and B is a Bat with weblike wings.
C is for Cider, a drink thats good; and D is for Donut, another food.
E is an Ear of Corn, picked in the fall; F is for False Faces, worn by all.
G is a Ghost who is never seen; and H, of course is for HALLOWEEN!
I is an Indian; do you know this fellow? J, a Jack 'O Lantern, is round and yellow.
K is a Kauldron of witch's brew; L is a Lantern and autumn Leaf too.
M is for Man in the Moon, no doubt; and N is for Night, when pranksters are out.
O is for Owl, too sleepy to fly; P is for Pumpkin and Pumpkin Pie.
Q is for Quill, and R for Rabbit (called bunny) and S is a Scarecrwow, isn't he funny?
T is for Trick or Treat again, U is for Umbrella in case of rain.
V is for Voices that cry in the dark.
W, for Witch, she's out on a lark.
X marks the spot of a celebration, and Y is the Yellow decoration.
Z is for the Zig-Zag line you see around this Halloween Rhyme.

For each letter, instead of the word, the have a picture (an apple for A, a witch for W) and around the whole poem is an orange zig zag line. How fun is that? There i at least one other poem to post...maybe on another day!

[spookyboo]

Cool poems Laurie that last one was so cute!!!! I have been so busy lately my party is a week from tomorrow yikes ... I made up a quick poem just to post

At night before I go to bed
I look out my window
and watch the land of
the dead

I check to see if the coast is clear
that no floating phantoms
will appear

Watching closely for any sign
of earthly movement
or ungodly whine

All is clear nothing to be seen
but I better watch a little longer
for tonight is Halloween

I wrote this about the invitations I sent out.... will share soon I promise

[Laurie Strode]

Michael, very nice. And good man, Jack, for sending cool stuff!

Spookyboo, where are youuuuu???? All set for your party?


My Love That Was So True

A ghost—is he afraid to be a ghost?
A ghost? It breaks my heart to think of it.
Something that wavers in the moon, at most;
Something that wanders: something that must flit
From morning, from the bird's breath and the dew.
Ah, if I knew,—ah, if I only knew!


Something so weirdly wan, so weirdly still!
O yearning lips that our warm blood can flush,
Follow it with your kisses, if you will;
O beating heart, think of its helpless hush.
Oh, bitterest of all, to feel we fear
Something that was so near, that was so dear!


No—no, he is no ghost; he could not be;
Something that hides, forlorn, in frost and brier;
Something shut outside in the dark, while we
Laugh and forget by the familiar fire;
Something whose moan we call the wind, whose tears
Sound but as rain-drops in our human ears.

--Sarah Piatt

[Laurie Strode]

Once Upon a Time

Once upon a time rare flowers grew
On every shrub and bush we used to see;
The skies above our heads were always blue,
The woods held secrets deep for you and me;
The hillsides had their caves where tales were told
Of swart-cheeked pirates from a far-off clime,
When cutlases were fierce and rovers bold -
Don't you remember? - Once upon a time.

Once upon a time from sun to sun
The hours were full of joy - there was no care,
And webs of gaudy dreams in air were spun
Of deeds heroic and of fortunes fair;
The jangling schoolhouse bell was all the woe
Our spirits knew, and in its tuneless chime.
Was all the sorrow of the long ago-
Don't you remember? - Once upon a time.

Once upon a time the witches rode
In sinister and ominous parade
Upon their sticks at night, and queer lights glowed
With eerie noises by the goblins made;
And many things mysterious there were .
For boyish cheeks to pale at through the grime
That held them brown; and shadows queer would stir-
Don't you remember? - Once upon a time.

Once upon a time our faith was vast
To compass all the things on sea and land
That boys have trembled o'er for ages past,
Nor ever could explain or understand,
And in that faith found happiness too deep
For all the gifted tongues of prose or rime,
And joys ineffable we could not keep -
Don't you remember? - Once upon a time.

--James W. Foley, 1905

[mryantaylor]

One of mine:

"Welcome," said the spider,
"Come right in.
I'm so glad to have you,
I feel mighty thin.
Rest your weary bones,
lay down your pack,
the time has now come
to have a snack."

- M. Ryan Taylor

[Haunted Horseman]

Come on guys, lets not let this thread die.

Halloween is Coming
By Haunted Horseman

Halloween is coming, I can smell it in the air,
Halloween is coming, and I don't know what to wear;

Pumpkins are being carved into fun and frightful shapes,
As dozens of little girls are trying on their witch's capes;

The candy's being readied in every neighborhood house,
As the local back cat is catching her 13th mouse;

The mercury has dropped to create a brisk afternoon,
As the wind is blowing leaves about and whistling a spooky tune;

Halloween is coming, the excitement’s building fast,
Halloween is coming, the fun is here at last.

[MHooch]

Very nice, HH, good imagery!

Thanks for keeping us going.

[I B Howlin' Wolfman]

Back a few months ya' know?
A little voice inside said
(over a meal of Chili and Beano)
"Better get your a** movin'
or you're gonna be dead!"

So the very next day I started to plan
I'll try to do everything possible, all that I can.
The stuff in the attic came down from above
A few things got stuck,
they just needed a shove.

So the garage was packed tight
I was feelin' quite wired
there was no room to budge
Feelin' hungry & tired,
I packed it in for the night
Some chili and movie,
I think was "The Grunge"

Days turned to weeks,
then they also flew by
I love building freaks,
But my cedit cards fried.

The fences are done
The headstones lay fair,
It was really quite fun
with the zombie's head there.

The countdown is running,
it's nearly at end.
My graveyard's quite cunning
Just a few things to mend.

To deal with a complainsters
It's really not hard.
As a club I administer
an' put them in the yard.

Today is day One
And I'm nearly a blur
It's all been such fun
'Cept for the paint in my fur.

People walk by and all stop and stare
There's so much to be seen
But there's still time to spare
My wish for you is...
HAPPY
HALLOWEEN!