Thursday, October 25, 2012

The Dark Side

Halloween is my favorite holiday. Aside from Cinco de Mayo, I'm convinced it should be every poet's favorite holiday. It has all we need to stoke the fires of the bizarre poet's heart: celebrating the dead (us poets love to celebrate our dead, "Turn me into song; sing me awake."), altering of characters and personas (let us be another so that we can be ourselves! "The natural madness of the hatter."), bonfires ("Rage, rage against the dying of the light."), and lastly, a wild foray into the darkness ("We grow accustomed to the dark--").  This year, All Hallows Eve has coincided with some strange rhyming obsession that's hit me recently and hasn't stopped. Like most of my obsessions, there was nothing to do but hop on the train and hope that at some point I'd be let off eventually. So, I've given in and started writing children's poems. This one in particular if for Dimitri, my awesome four year old nephew who loves Halloween as much as I do.  What can we do, but embrace whatever new poetic device comes knocking at our door? Let it in! Let it in! Give it candy and gin! 

(*Thanks to Kaelea Ann for making it pretty and four year old friendly!)