When witches brew and goblins howl deep into the night,

and there is danger all around that might give you a fright,

then take good care to guard yourself and the ones you love,

All Hallows Eve holds terrors that you cannot possibly think of.

There is no shame in cowering behind a securely locked gate.

If children come to trick-or-treat, why, then they must wait,

and try again on a sunny day when the daylight skies are clear, and not riffled with the phenomenon of a spooky atmosphere.

You may have hoards of candy, and want to share it all,

but if you do, why then you may be headed for a nasty fall.

The kids are all a-costumed, their dear faces all aglow.

You turn your back for the sweets, and the last thing that you know

is the horrific feel of something unreal creeping 'round our head.

There's nothing more after that, for you've become one of the undead.

The great unwashed, sometimes quashed by a stake or two,

but when not, why, then you've got a lot of grooming to do.

It's better to be at a costume ball than something raked up in the fall,

in fact, that deleterious something that becomes nothing at all.

So, here's a clue to what you must do to be alive on All Saints Day.

Forget the trick-or-treaters. They are merely foul creatures at play.

Bring the jack-o'-lantern inside. Then, try to hide far away from the doors.

The porch light's out, nobody alive is about, so ignore the creaking floors.

This may work, however, if indeed you shirk your duty to the masses,

your house may suffer, for it has no buffer from those hungry lads and lasses

Carol Anderson

31 October 2008