“They saw their injured country's woe;
The flaming town, the wasted field;
Then rushed to meet the insulting foe;
They took the spear, - but left the shield.”
―Philip Freneau
.
And by a prudent flight and cunning save A life which valour could not, from the grave. A better buckler I can soon regain, But who can get another life again?
Archilochus
Trick or treating, barren branches claw On rooftops ‘gainst the biting Autumn air. Jack O’Lantern flickers. Would he gnaw An arm away, or set aflame the hair –– Conspicuously real above the masks –– Kindling Kindergartners at the door? Only Satan’s own perform such tasks, Leering, lisping, limping as to war. Awake! All Hallows Eve lets loose the ghosts. No one escapes the Grave for long. Be wise. The Jack O’Lanterns flicker on the posts –– Each one a sentry for the Lord of Flies. Run home to mother lest the Evil One Nabs you, while you think you’re having fun.
Be sure to tell your kids to watch our for those razor blades put in apples, and steel filings or dish detergent –– or cyanide –– baked into any homemade cookies or candies. Leftist fiends lurk everywhere doing ther best to destroy our Traditions, and remove any chance others might still have of enjoying themselves without fear.
A little child knocked at my door –– He looked so pallid, thin and poor He meekly murmered, "Trick or Trea?" He seemed pathetic, yet so sweet.
My heart was touched. I did not see His parents hid behind the tree Not three feet from my open door, Tired, hungry, dirty, poor.
They had used their child as bait Alas! !I learned this much too late. For they rushed at me wth a knife I felt they meant to end my life
But no they just swept through my door And tramped all over my clean floor, Rifled through each dresser drawer Taking silver –– jewelry –– more
Stuffed them in my pillow case Then ate ate the food stored in the place I hoped by then that they'd just go But when I asked, they just said "No!
"We like it here, we're going to stay "You tried to lead our boy astray. "We mean to be your family, see? "Accept us, and we'll let you be.
"Remember you abused our kid. "We know he'll tell the cops you did. "You'll have no chance 'gainst us in court, "So get this straight, and make it short
"We're living here at your expense "You'll buy our food, we'll pay no rents. "That's the price for being blind "While believing you were kind."
That was several years ago. They're with me still. They'll never go. They've forced me to give them the deed To my house, and watch them bleed
My stock account and savings dry, But I won't let them see me cry. For them I was an easy prey, How long they'll let me live they never say!
Little Orphant Annie’s come to our house to stay, An’ wash the cups an’ saucers up, an’ brush the crumbs away, An’ shoo the chickens off the porch, an’ dust the hearth, an’ sweep, An’ make the fire, an’ bake the bread, an’ earn her board-an’-keep; An’ all us other children, when the supper-things is done, We set around the kitchen fire an’ has the mostest fun
A-list’nin’ to the witch-tales ‘at Annie tells about, An’ the Gobble-uns ‘at gits you Ef you Don’t Watch Out!
Wunst they wuz a little boy wouldn’t say his prayers,— An’ when he went to bed at night, away up-stairs, His Mammy heerd him holler, an’ his Daddy heerd him bawl, An’ when they turn’t the kivvers down, he wuzn’t there at all! An’ they seeked him in the rafter-room, an’ cubby-hole, an’ press, An’ seeked him up the chimbly-flue, an’ ever’-wheres, I guess;
But all they ever found wuz thist his pants an’ roundabout:— An’ the Gobble-uns ‘ll git you Ef you Don’t Watch Out!
An’ one time a little girl ‘ud allus laugh an’ grin, An’ make fun of ever’ one, an’ all her blood-an’-kin; An’ wunst, when they was “company,” an’ ole folks wuz there, She mocked ‘em an’ shocked ‘em, an’ said she didn’t care! An’ thist as she kicked her heels, an’ turn’t to run an’ hide, They wuz two great big Black Things a-standin’ by her side,
An’ they snatched her through the ceilin’ ‘fore she knowed what she’s about! An’ the Gobble-uns ‘ll git you Ef you Don’t Watch Out!
An’ little Orphant Annie says, when the blaze is blue, An’ the lamp-wick sputters, an’ the wind goes woo-oo! An’ you hear the crickets quit, an’ the moon is gray, An’ the lightnin’-bugs in dew is all squenched away,— You better mind yer parunts, an’ yer teachurs fond an’ dear, An’ churish them ‘at loves you, an’ dry the orphant’s tear,
An’ he’p the pore an’ needy ones ‘at clusters all about, Er the Gobble-uns ‘ll git you Ef you Don’t Watch Out!
6 comments:
_______ All Hallows Eve _______
Trick or treating, barren branches claw
On rooftops ‘gainst the biting Autumn air.
Jack O’Lantern flickers. Would he gnaw
An arm away, or set aflame the hair ––
Conspicuously real above the masks ––
Kindling Kindergartners at the door?
Only Satan’s own perform such tasks,
Leering, lisping, limping as to war.
Awake! All Hallows Eve lets loose the ghosts.
No one escapes the Grave for long. Be wise.
The Jack O’Lanterns flicker on the posts ––
Each one a sentry for the Lord of Flies.
Run home to mother lest the Evil One
Nabs you, while you think you’re having fun.
~ FreeThinke - The Sandpiper, Autumn, 1996
Oh, and by the way
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Be sure to tell your kids to watch our for those razor blades put in apples, and steel filings or dish detergent –– or cyanide –– baked into any homemade cookies or candies. Leftist fiends lurk everywhere doing ther best to destroy our Traditions, and remove any chance others might still have of enjoying themselves without fear.
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I saw a man upon the stair.
I knew he wasn't really there.
He wasn't there again today.
Oh God, I wish he'd go away!
__ AN UNHAPPY HALLOWEEN __
A little child knocked at my door ––
He looked so pallid, thin and poor
He meekly murmered, "Trick or Trea?"
He seemed pathetic, yet so sweet.
My heart was touched. I did not see
His parents hid behind the tree
Not three feet from my open door,
Tired, hungry, dirty, poor.
They had used their child as bait
Alas! !I learned this much too late.
For they rushed at me wth a knife
I felt they meant to end my life
But no they just swept through my door
And tramped all over my clean floor,
Rifled through each dresser drawer
Taking silver –– jewelry –– more
Stuffed them in my pillow case
Then ate ate the food stored in the place
I hoped by then that they'd just go
But when I asked, they just said "No!
"We like it here, we're going to stay
"You tried to lead our boy astray.
"We mean to be your family, see?
"Accept us, and we'll let you be.
"Remember you abused our kid.
"We know he'll tell the cops you did.
"You'll have no chance 'gainst us in court,
"So get this straight, and make it short
"We're living here at your expense
"You'll buy our food, we'll pay no rents.
"That's the price for being blind
"While believing you were kind."
That was several years ago.
They're with me still. They'll never go.
They've forced me to give them the deed
To my house, and watch them bleed
My stock account and savings dry,
But I won't let them see me cry.
For them I was an easy prey,
How long they'll let me live they never say!
~ FreeThinke, 10/31/18
_____________ Little Orphant Annie ____________
Little Orphant Annie’s come to our house to stay,
An’ wash the cups an’ saucers up, an’ brush the crumbs away,
An’ shoo the chickens off the porch, an’ dust the hearth, an’ sweep,
An’ make the fire, an’ bake the bread, an’ earn her board-an’-keep;
An’ all us other children, when the supper-things is done,
We set around the kitchen fire an’ has the mostest fun
A-list’nin’ to the witch-tales ‘at Annie tells about,
An’ the Gobble-uns ‘at gits you
Ef you
Don’t
Watch
Out!
Wunst they wuz a little boy wouldn’t say his prayers,—
An’ when he went to bed at night, away up-stairs,
His Mammy heerd him holler, an’ his Daddy heerd him bawl,
An’ when they turn’t the kivvers down, he wuzn’t there at all!
An’ they seeked him in the rafter-room, an’ cubby-hole, an’ press,
An’ seeked him up the chimbly-flue, an’ ever’-wheres, I guess;
But all they ever found wuz thist his pants an’ roundabout:—
An’ the Gobble-uns ‘ll git you
Ef you
Don’t
Watch
Out!
An’ one time a little girl ‘ud allus laugh an’ grin,
An’ make fun of ever’ one, an’ all her blood-an’-kin;
An’ wunst, when they was “company,” an’ ole folks wuz there,
She mocked ‘em an’ shocked ‘em, an’ said she didn’t care!
An’ thist as she kicked her heels, an’ turn’t to run an’ hide,
They wuz two great big Black Things a-standin’ by her side,
An’ they snatched her through the ceilin’ ‘fore she knowed what she’s about!
An’ the Gobble-uns ‘ll git you
Ef you
Don’t
Watch
Out!
An’ little Orphant Annie says, when the blaze is blue,
An’ the lamp-wick sputters, an’ the wind goes woo-oo!
An’ you hear the crickets quit, an’ the moon is gray,
An’ the lightnin’-bugs in dew is all squenched away,—
You better mind yer parunts, an’ yer teachurs fond an’ dear,
An’ churish them ‘at loves you, an’ dry the orphant’s tear,
An’ he’p the pore an’ needy ones ‘at clusters all about,
Er the Gobble-uns ‘ll git you
Ef you
Don’t
Watch
Out!
~ James Whitcomb Riley (1849-1916)
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