October’s Final Days, WINNER, Poetry
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‘Twas Halloween Night all the children were dressed
As ghosties and ghoulies to scare all the rest.
They set out for adventure – sweet treats for the taking
Clouds swept past the moon – a night of tricks in the making.
Dark streets were lighted – Jack O’Lantern’s glowing
Nobody knew that true danger was growing.
Kids giggled and skipped house to house, door to door
“Trick or Treat” they would shout, rudely asking for more.
The neighborhood houses were decked out as well,
Graveyards with monsters and demons from Hell.
The scene was a treat for the imagination,
Until Sam finally snapped and sought retaliation.
As kids filled their bags up with neighborhood goodies,
Terror lurked in the shadows wearing black pants and a hoodie.
Sam hated this tradition, greedy kids, noise and laughter,
He’d make people think twice from now on, ever after.
As the children ran past him, his patience was waning,
He needed to strike – his insanity gaining!
One house was designed to give kiddies a fright,
The front lawn was a graveyard just for tonight.
Fake zombies struggled to rise from the ground,
It was one of the best Halloween scenes to be found.
Danny crept near a place where he shouldn’t have been,
A quick blade ‘cross his throat and he’s part of the scene.
An old oak spread its limbs in a park down the street,
Fake monsters were hanged there – a cool breeze blew their feet.
Sandy, dressed as a ghoul, got too close to the dark,
A noose tight ‘round her neck added feet to the park.
Red strobe lights flashed brightly from the depths of a well,
A bloody, handwritten sign read: “The Gateway To Hell”.
Away from his friends, Timmy wandered too close,
One little shove – his screams add to the show.
The horror continued all Halloween night,
Kids disappeared to the left and the right.
Sam did his handiwork the whole evening through,
Until one child was left who didn’t know what to do.
He stood under a streetlight, whimp’ring, cold as a bone,
Wond’ring, through sobs, why his friends left him alone.
Sunrise discovered a most grisly scene,
More murders in one night than there’d ever been.
What once was tradition became nightmare that year,
No more tricking, no treating, no laughter, no cheer.
Sam was convicted and locked up for good,
Only one child survived from the whole neighborhood.
That child is all grown now – he’s not been the same,
Stories say now he plays a most frightening game.
He wanders the countryside, from town to town,
He hasn’t got friends and he can’t settle down.
Wherever he visits on Halloween Night,
He pretends he is Sam and gives children a fright.
Once he finishes playing his Halloween game,
It’s said that the children are never the same.
He fills neighborhood children with terror and dread,
When all’s said and done the kids wish they were dead.
So, as you put on your costume with plans to have fun,
Keep looking behind you, be ready to run.
A madman is lurking ‘round every dark turn,
To teach you a lesson all children should learn.
Stick together, say thank you and please be polite,
And you just might survive this Halloween Night!
Darryl Womack’s love for storytelling was spurred from family camping trips and his many colorful tales shared around the campfire in the backwoods of California. A high school English teacher by day, Womack is now brought those vivid campfire tales to life in his 2016 book, Tales of Westerford. When he is not writing, Womack enjoys the outdoors, traveling, mountain biking, reading, and spending time with family and friends. A graduate of Humboldt State University, he currently resides in Redlands, California with his wife of 34 years, Patty. Together they have three sons, Garrett, Kevin, and Christopher, two daughters-in-law, Morgana and Catherine, and two granddaughters, Maddie and Kate.
