jittery chittery flittery bats
rival comradery of crazy calico cats
persnickety rickety witches galore
their insane trickery greases that door
Sentiment peppermint calling to me
Halloween respite, Dracula’s revelry
chivalry slivalry rich reggie rack
enchanted jewelry slides quickly back
October magic surrounds my funny words
costumes of all sort, many of them absurd
a holiday that brings excitement to them in every way
jittery chittery flittery I am dancing in some kind of play
quirky bats from lemon flats
rolled up into the orange mats
did not come out until Halloween
hidden until they chose to be seen
the children liked them right away
parents were not yelling “yes, hooray!”
but children are not fearful until they are told
by people who are prejudiced, staid and old
Halloween gnome named Cheesy collected black bats
They swarmed around him as if he were tuna fish cats
We could not figure it out, but it happened like crazy
Cheesy was a baker, up early, never a teensy bit lazy
Maybe it was his scones, his muffins and such
But bats adored Cheesy, they liked him ever so much
They glommed onto him every month, not just Halloween
They landed on his knees, his neck, forever with him seen.
Lacey ghost liked her name, and lived up to it too
She was frilly and frothy from her legs up to her boo
Flittered and fluttered like the butterflies and faeries do
Lacey ghost was girly-girlish with white bats that coo
the front of that book said thirty cute bats
Cute bats! What about a bat would be cute?
I shuddered a little at the thought.
Then I looked at the artwork.that accompanied that cover
It was a darling stained glass bat
A bat dressed to the eleven’s.in purple, turquoise and oranges.
I had never seen such a bat!
A cartoonist myself, I had to open the book a whisker.
I found myself staring at some mighty cute bats.
some in stained glass, others on t-shirts or in jewelry.
Many of these bats I had to have!
The book was a cataog, and it cost a mere $28.99.
First impression was now out the window
I bought the book and ordered some of these cute bats
Ebony ears carving a melody
To not listen is a fuchsia felony
Pumpkin patch a ballroom for hags
As scarecrows do the monster mash
Crop circles and winding corn mazes
People love to explore such places
In the red barn we try to get warm
A spider near apple cider does no harm
Black bats are the birds of night
A hooting owl gives them fright
Frosty air thick fall’s denim delight
Candy apple on stick take a bite
Autumn fair with colorful leaves
All is well on this calm Halloween
Festive fun despite the chill in air
Wind is a hawk that squawks and stares
There was a young man who knew when
yet likes the sound of the name Big Ben
with a certain ring to it which appeals
as a bell it will sell well he feels
and the knell wake the dead once again
When The Warmth
And Warm Glow
Chasing Butterflies,
Catches Fire...
To Burn Holes,
Crispy Rips And
Bloody Shreds
For Your Soul...
Lusting, Longing
For That Thick
Musty Sherry:
Sweet Passionate
Desire...
Lives In Here,
In These Caverns, Now...
Through The Cracks,
Comes And Goes.
-Gray Squirrel
10-16-2025
Uncle was a spelunker
drove to the caves
in his clunker
(it was quite the junker)
without a sound
he sunk underground
pitch black as night
and on his hat
a bright white light
(the switch it was waterproof)
to see which stalagmites
might reach the roof
where stalactites
clung on tight
unafraid of bats
flitting around
never flunking
Uncle loved going down
but sorely and sad to say
on one of those getaways
a painful cluster of bad carbuncles
curtailed Uncle's spelunking days
Fish consuming bats come out at night
In Brazil struggling fish is a sight
So scary are the long-tongued bats
Pollen and nectar give them their fats
Frog-eating bats reside in Panama
They devour them all cold and raw
Vampire bats make my shivers shake cold
Blood from animals is their liquid gold
If ultrasound machines of the world all break down
We had better make friends with nocturnal bats.brown.
They use ultrasound to locate and navigate
There is one hanging by my west garden gate
Vampire bats could help us diagnose disease
Be polite and make sure you use thank you and please
Nurses and doctors will have to be trained to be kind.
And learn how to communicate with a bat’s interesting mind.
Soaring through the sky of early fall
Abolishing mosquitos, eating for all
Your siren song echoes in the night.
Hungry little teeth white and bright
Webbed wings flank the higher you soar.
Dark vessels visible through the black uproar
You’ve joined all your friends in your endless hunt
Soft chitters of excitement flow through your bunch
For bats eat the stealers, back to the blood
Warm and well, swarming like floods
At the end of the day
Reality bats last
So when you worry
That we’re down in the 9th
Just remember
Take heart
And find solace
That reality always
Has the final say
(8/2/24)
Nosy minds in fall of night
Like foul bats envying the light
They're like fool dogs barking till dawn
Finding some dirt in other's lawn
They're all like puppets in a play
They are like some toys made of clay
Stupid idiots who know nothing
Pulling others is their only thing
I still wonder if what's the price
Does risk they take worth the slice
Sleepless nights, they come and go
Up the mountains and down below
I didn't sleep again
It's boring me to tears
I think I'm getting better
I've felt this way for years
I don't need a doctor
Have you met my mother?
Oh, she died long ago
Maybe I meant my brother
People keep on staring
What are you looking at?
I just found my wristwatch
It's time to walk the cat
I keep hearing voices
I hope my head's alright
These bats in the belfry
Won't let me sleep at night
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