A Spooky Spectacle

A haunted house was advertised in the paper,

Teenagers playing a misguided prank,

The ad was pulled too late, the damage done,

The list of the curious never shrank,

The dilapidated two story worn out manse,

Proudly stood in spite of the local shame,

Its history linked with the rich and famous,

The mansion had only them to blame,

Years had left it collapsing in the middle,

A perfect haunt made for the night,

Stairs creaked, screams trapped in the walls,

All the windows and doors sealed tight,

Reminiscent of popular ballroom affairs,

People were lined up and waiting their turn,

Anxious to see the scariest house around,

One that frightened and made stomachs churn,

Cars filled a field and lined the road,

Halloween evening and monsters weren’t out,

Little ghouls, big ghosts, gracious hosts,

Hidden with sounds to make, shrieks or shouts,

Blood thirsty tales of murder would draw visitors in,

Those who wanted to be scared came to this place,

Stories were told about a missing man,

Who roamed the halls without a face,

Fear that was expected didn’t last,

Messages everywhere, claims of death scrawls,

Evidences of rudeness from the past,

Urine and blood had been splashed on the walls,

A cemetery lay stationed off to one side,

Rectangular plots still open and ready to fill,

It was eerie since a shed with its door open,

Stood waiting just a few steps up the hill,

The manse was a spectacle that I knew quite well,

I lived a few houses down on the same street,

And I believed the mansion sat at the edge of hell,

This was not a place to go Trick or Treat,

There were no tour guides, the routes were crude,

Invisible witches with their friends the bats,

Swooped low to scare the intruders,

Who were avoiding the black cats,

Chaos and confusion reigned through the night,

As uninvited guests tromped into each room,

Often visitors were disappointed by unbidden sight,

Not realizing this house was a house of doom,

The druggie in the corner, the starving child,

The wolfman on meth who menacing and wild,

The monster with chainsaw who chased at will,

Too old to catch anyone, too old to kill,

Yet even with evil residing in the house,

No one was injured, not even a mouse,

Gargoyles sat at the corners of the yard,

Protecting children and staying on guard,

Other forces stood ready to do their part,

To keep all folks safe, especially the heart,

Though it might be weird to keep folks from harm,

To the unprotected the forces would swarm,

For Halloween is more than tricks or fear,

It’s more about fun, the message is clear,

Should you have scary neighbors next door,

Be wary of where and how you explore,

It’s just one night, with a year between,

Stay safe and have fun, this Halloween!