Sunday 31 October 2010

The Poetry Bus - Trick or Treat, Sick or Sweet

It's Halloween, Samhain, Day of the Dead, call it what you will.  It's that creepy time of year when winter really starts to get his teeth into the ailing year.  The clocks have gone back and soon it'll be Christmas (which is more scary, if you ask me).

So, this week's prompting by liz over here, was about the spook-fest of Halloween.  Being a poet of little brain, I couldn't manage a triolet, so here's my doggerel, which may just about fit the prompt of 'Pardon Me While I Scream'.  Or not.  Anyhoo, go to Liz's link above to find some proper poems.

A Witch's Lament

There was a time, the old witch said
(Absently boiling a baby's head)
That folk would tremble at our name
But lately things just aren't the same.

There was a time, the old witch cried
(Tossing ears like pancakes, as they fried)
When we sailed the moonlight on our broom
Now it sweeps cobwebs from the room.

There was a time, the old witch boasted
(Prodding at puppies as they roasted)
When we'd blind the eye, and the mind beguile
I must admit, it's been awhile.

There was a time, the old witch muttered
(Laying out fingers, all nicely buttered)
When we'd freeze the blood, cause hearts to quail
Not star in some popular children's tale

There was a time, the old witch moaned
(Arranging kittens, all neatly boned)
When we were dark as dark could be
But now it seems, we're all P.C.

There was a time, the old witch said
(Still a-boiling that baby's head)
When to be a witch was to be a rotter.
But no more, thanks to Goody-Two-Shoes Potter!

18 comments:

  1. No, nice one Argent! Even witches wax, then wane, nostalgic. Loved the cooking details.

    Also need to ask you a literary favour, could you e-mail me your e-mail address to TitusmckayATaolDOTcom?

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  2. Top notch witchery going on here! LOL :)

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  3. Your cooking details have me laughing out loud! Ghoulish goulash! Wonderfully tasty!

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  4. Fangs are clearly not what they used to be! Nice one, Argent.

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  5. Well, now I'm left wondering about my favorite children's book when I was young - Old Black Witch. The attraction was that she made pancakes for the children. Hmmm - I wonder what was IN those pancakes?

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  6. Titus - I've emailed you as requested and am intrigued!

    Jinksey and Karen - Thanks! The most fun was coming up with the cooking ideas. Ghoulish Goulash! Why didn't I think of that?

    Rachel - Thanks

    Dick - GROAN!!!!

    Bug - Witches are forever cooking stuff up it seems with unwholesome ingredients. Environmental Health would have a field day!

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  7. I especially salivated at the deboned kitties and the buttered fingers. I haven't had supper tonight. Thank you ever so much for taking a pot-shot at Potter. Your poem was heaps of fun on this Halloween night.

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  8. it made me laugh on sunday morning that the BBC had the tratidional report about dowdy housewives dressing up in purple and cavorting with the trees- sorry about Druids

    I liked the use of the subtext in your poem (the bit in the brackets) - very funny

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  9. Wonderful! Fantastic. I really, really enjoyed it!

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  10. If by doggerel, you mean finely crafted verse bristling with humour, then it is doggerel of the highest quality!

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  11. CL - Thank you kindly, sir!

    Enchanted Oak - I was a bit squeamish about putting in kitties (as I love them and can't stomach harm to them even in jest) but if it made you giggle....

    DFTP - Everyone seems to like the cooking bits - maybe I should bring out a recipe book

    Dave - Cheers!

    Peter - Thank you for your fulsome praise.

    And thanks to all who had read.

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  12. A lot of fun thanks! -''... Sweeps the cobwebs from the room-'' Yum.

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  13. Sick and clever, Ms. Argent and of course, quite bewitching!

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  14. hahahahahahahah!!.. love this!... this should be a kid's book in the style of 'the gruffalo'... going to show this to the kid, she'll love it!
    :-D

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  15. I don't know how I missed this on the first go-round, but I apologize for that. It's hilarious! I got a bit squeamish with those puppies and kittens, but that Potter-line had me in stitches, so it's all good.

    Kat

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  16. Izzy, Jeanne, Watercats and Kat thanks for reading. I thought I had replied to all the comments on this but Kat has reminded me that I hadn't.

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