All Hallows' Evening

Cold sunken ground does not deny the heat of death Nor pumpkins dull the horror of this hallowed eve of ghoulish creatures basking in the fetid breath condemned to roam together yet alone to grieve. They rise upon this hallowed eve to dance in time Tip the tarnished mug of grog as they did before Their skeletons a timpani, a windblown chime Clatter in the darkness of this night they abhor. They torment passing souls on this their evil night Reaching in agony to touch the edge of life Moving as shadowed vapors in and out of sight Soldiers denied sad honor of the drum and fife. As distant church bells chime to mark the break of dawn They sink into the darkness from which they were drawn. John G. Lawless ©10/25/2022