Twas the Day of Halloween

Twas the Day of Halloween
by Jace Daniel (b. 1969)

Twas the day of Halloween, when all ‘long the shore,
The creatures were stirring, the sun rising o’er;

The pumpkins were carved on the porches of homes,
With hopes to greet goblins, some pirates, and gnomes;

The children were prepping to go out to school,
All dressed in their masks, with one as a ghoul;

Some Mom with her turn to carpool the crew,
Yelled, “Buckle up, kids!” and floored it on cue;

When that afternoon, the shadows got longer,
The moonlight got brighter, the sweet-teeth got stronger;

I sat on the couch, pale ale in my hand,
Time slipping away, my hourglass of sand;

I got to my feet, as darkness drew near,
Grabbed a matchbook of sorts, and put down my beer;

I walked to the porch, where Jack smiled in grey,
Put fire in his head, to light up his day;

I went for my brew, when what should appear,
A crowd of small folk, all donned in their gear;

More rapid than starved rats, in courses they came,
I whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

“Now, Superman! Now, Vader! Now, Ghost dressed in blue!
On, Cowgirl! On Scream guy! And the other seven just like you!

Now take your Jolly Ranchers! And your Three Musketeers!
And get the hell off my lawn! I still have four beers!”

Like wild peacocks with tails take our ‘hood in their storm,
As they scramble away, with no shape or form;

Back down to the curb, ‘cross the street how they ran,
Pillowcases of treats, as their madness began;

And they heard me exclaim, as they dashed out of sight,
Happy Halloween, you little monsters! Now have a fun night!