On Halloween Night

We approach the house, to trick-or-treat, but wonder if we dare The porch is dark, no light or spark, to help us find the way We peek inside, ........does the old man hide? We see no one is there But, we rang the bell, and wait a spell, the door begins to sway Through the crack, pursued, a room is bare with unclad shades of gray Arthritic winds have tossed us in, with a wretched dismal hand The trees bend low, against the house with solemn loathing dread With branches, brisk, it rattles glass, against the window pane We look around the cheerless room, a terrible scent of wrong An angled light has slithered in, with shadows deep and long and spotlights what's become of him, the man who isn't there... with a room unkempt, some muffled steps, and as if a ghost might stare Four vinyl seats, Formica clad, a room that needs repair The table set, a plate of food, is rotting by the chair A cup of cold, a cigarette, still smoking in the air The room depicts, what might have been, but reeks with wrought despair A parakeet within a cage has mocked us once again The voice is shrill, it squawks with rage, 'Unlock me if you dare!' The floor is strewn with littered seed, where mice have shared the spill All time has stopped, in ash and dust, the hours couldn't care....... We take a breath, too scared to move, for we are not alone For company, a skeleton, sits beside the sofa's edge against the wall, it smiles at us beneath the window ledge No eyes to stare, yet seems surprised...as if a joke is played Inaudible, just barely heard, the wind begins to howl Or is it we, who scream to be back home in Mommy's arms Outside the house, we hear an owl, and we begin to run into the night, into the light, without a bit of fun! No Snicker Bars, no Tootsie Pops, no candy corn or Mars A trick on us, no treat it was......we've lost our appetite!! ____________________________________________________ For Contest: Halloween Night Sponsor: Nayda Ivette Negron