Winds of October
Autumn arrived with washed blue skies
And puffy clouds over long-stretched fields;
With pumpkins and cornstalks adorning the roadsides
And squash and gourds on farms to be tilled.
Leaves in the trees, sparkling in sunlight
Glistening on winds of soft vintage chill;
Owls hoot, cats purr, as children rush from school
The sun drops earlier beyond yonder hill.
Barrels in cider barns, covered with dry leaves
Dot the landscape most everywhere;
And colorful stores decorated in black and orange
With masks and costumes and broomsticks to scare.
Yes October’s arrived, in all her grand splendor
While the nights grow longer, the darkness deeper;
As dogs bark while bats soar beneath star-strewn skies
And moon sheen casts shadows upon hidden creatures.
Halloween parties in schools do commence
With painted faces, caramel apples, cinnamon in hot cider;
And chocolate treats with donuts and games
Their wonder and merriment make our world brighter.
Through the rain and the cold
And the gusts one can hear,
A holiday cheer, a scream from fear
As goblins do henceforth appear.
O those ghosts and witches and pranksters alike
From door to door on their lips "trick-or-treat";
Such color and array, O what a sight!
Of fright, and curiosity upon every street.
And Ma and Pa at home by the fireside
With pastry and brandy while answering the door;
On Halloween night, awaiting their return
From the gloom and the bustle, soon to be no more.
O Winds of October, how long will you blow?
Upon children's faces, setting their hearts aglow?
May the full moon's harvest yet dampen their fear
From the spook of adulthood, until the next year.
© 1985
by Armand A. Gagnon (1950- )
Return to Origins of Hallowe'en?
DAY OF THE DEAD or Día de los muertos