Trick or Treat, "Edith get the door," yells Archie!!
"Oh Archie they are so cute come and look Please."
"Shut up Edith just give them their stupid candy, will ya?"
" I'm not dealing with Meathead, you, and these brats all night, Na"
" Edith don't give Snickers bars, they're my favs, are you crazy?"
Michael Tor
Inspired by Lin Lane
Archie Bunker was
a rude SOB he starred
in a sitcom called All
In The Family. He had
no manners and
treated his wife Edith
like she was dumb,
but Edith was smarter
than him...
There was no trick or treating tonight
The weather had made it too light
So they went to a show
Where the dead tend to go
Which gave them much more of a fright!
six ghoulish goblins glowing in the dark
one of them suggests a Halloween lark
painting crazy faces on jack-o-lanterns in the road.
a witch goes crazy; one turns into a loud toad.
another ghoulish goblin chases the witch away.
She has run out of spells and screams along the way.
black cat dances past them carrying a scalding pot.
wearing huge kitchen mitts, just like he ought.
five ghoulish goblins go out to trick or treat.
No one screams tonight as they go down the street.
On Halloween everyone looks spooky like a creep.
Tasty newfound candy lulls five ghoulish goblins to sleep.
In the race to success, we often tend to focus
On achievements and accolades, and the prizes we can collect
But in the midst of ambition, let's not forget
The most important measure of our worth, is how we treat others we meet
For kindness, empathy, and compassion are the keys
To building strong relationships, and a life that's truly a breeze
It's not just about winning, or reaching the top
But how we treat the people around us, as we rise to the hop
So let's not lose sight of the fact, that our success is not just about us
But about how we make others feel, and the impact we have on their fuss
Let's strive to be a blessing, to those we meet each day
And remember that how we treat others, is the best way to pave our way.
Once upon a Halloween
I was a little black cat
Since then I have also been
A witch and the Cat in the Hat
One time I was Lily Munster
And then a witch again
I was also once Bart Simpson
Another witch, and then
A wizard and a zombie, too
The following year, a fairy
And, just to try out something new
More witches, sweet and scary
Dressed in purple, and in orange
And even once in silver
And, like a squeaky door hinge
A laugh to make you shiver
It may not be the best you’ve seen
This costume both cliche and kitsch
But when all else fails on Halloween
You can’t go wrong with being a witch!
We went up our Grandma Eleanor’s walk
To yell trick-or-treat when a crow gave a squawk
We could not believe how black it was, it gave me a fright.
It was not the only scary thing that happened that night.
There was a princess who fell on the step.
Another kid ran over her, he had enormous pep.
She let out a scream and grandma ran out the door.
This is MY grandma! I yelled. “Grandma Eleanor!”
There were so many trick-or-treaters I was irritated.
I think every kid from school was here, even those who’d graduated.
The parents thought my announcement funny. Some even laughed.
Another kid stepped on my foot hard. He was dressed as a giraffe.
I catch words
already forgotten
on the clothesline of time
because thus they
desire...
I put them in my lyrics
to bleach on the moon line,
because thus they
need...
every word desires
and deserves to shine in the literature... 1
What to be? She wondered, thinking princess with a mask
But she wanted to disguise her figure, a monumental task
She tried on costume after costume, discarding most as “no”.
She finally chose a sheet that had a tiny after glow.
She had better wear a muzzle, for if he heard her voice
He would recognize her immediately; her husband’s name is Royce.
She wanted to surprise him, in the act, so to speak.
She practiced walking in army boots, for they rarely ever squeak.
He had often told her that he always recognized her walk.
Thus, she wanted to disguise it as well as her distinguished talk.
She has a little accent that yells “Brooklyn” in a certain way.
She knew she had better not even try to talk at all this day.
The house was several streets away, but she did not drive their car.
She loaded her pistol and walked there; it truly was not far.
In a ghost costume she glided to the freshly painted red door
Her husband’s mistress answered, and now she is no more
“How’s life treating you?” A neighbor
Recently inquired.
He’s a working dad and I’m
A nana, long retired.
“I can’t complain,” was my reply,
“Or rather, I will not.”
For what’s the point when, after all,
I’m grateful for a lot.
The elevators in our building
Finally both work
So endless waiting is no more
What many weeks did irk.
I’m happy for the little things;
There isn’t much to gain
From doing what I often do -
Carp, grumble and complain!
Like a zombie at a town picnic
Scarfing brains in my room, like a shtick
My costume I offed
For I retched and coughed
Mom said, "That was the ultimate trick!"
October 30th, 2019
9
9
5
5
9
With ghosts and ghouls out and about
They make kids quiver,scream and shout
Treats soon calm them down
When they come around
While tricks will spark another bout.
Trick-or-Treating in the 60’s.
The good ole days.
When no one wore a bloody costume
Or a provocative costume or an offensive costume.
An innocent time when adults monitored children.
We had those awful hard plastic masks
The ones with an elastic string that broke.
They were ill-fitting and made seeing almost impossible.
Our parents did not drive us to the good neighborhoods.
We walked from house to house trick-or-treating with
People who knew us in our own neighborhood. No one checked their candy.
Homemade brownies and popcorn balls were devoured not discarded.
They were our favorite treats, we ate them between houses.
When it was getting late these adults who knew us sent us home
And we went without protesting because they were adults and we knew respect.
Did I mention we said thank you too? Integrity and manners preceded us.
Trick-or-Treaing in the 60’s.
TREATING PEOPLE UNFAIR
if you think about
life and how people treat you
most treat you bad and...
they find nothing good
nothing good in you so they
speak untruths and lies
9/1/18
written by James Edward Lee Sr.©2018
The book that’s my absolute favorite
is the most effective by far
after all my years of stuttering
having left many a inward scar
‘The treatment of stuttering’ on hardback
written by the renowned Charles van Riper
a former severe stuttered now it’s master
so hoping could be my stuttering wiper
Having tried many therapies in my life
none had much effect upon my tongue
so now in my early 60s one last fling
giving it my all so full must be my lung
CVP was leading speech pathologist
with this book showed his learned light
working out his pre-block modification
hoped this technique be my speaking sight
Now since my study of this therapy
can get coffee on my very own
this indeed is a huge forward step
so now make on to next milestone
The fears of past now receding
thanks be to God for His intervention
directing me to get hold of this book
giving me the way to speech correction
('The treatment of Stuttering' by Charles van Riper (1905-1994)
Speech Pathologist and former severe stutterer.)
The sweet-sour scent of waning hay
drifts to town from nearby fields,
pleasing all walkers with an edgy peace.
While autumn gusts enliven shadows,
the wavering moon turns sheets to ghosts,
and disguises reveal diverse fancies.
The mind evokes bewitching specters
cavorting like bats on their nightly hunts,
quickening the pace of parent and child.
Spooky music beckons from porches,
conjuring up faux frights and terrors,
as diffuse mysteries tug at innocence.
Related Poems