Halloween Poems

Monsters stalking through the night.
Halloween is the Night of Fright.
Fear is what this night brings,
Along with many other things.

Are you sure you are prepared?
Tonight is not for the easily scared.
Creatures from hell roam on this night,
For tonight is the Night of Fright.

Trick or treat you say,
You should not have waited until the end of the day.
Tonight you will lose your tricks and treats,
For the monsters need to eat.

You better not take this night lightly,
Or else you will truly learn what fright means.

In ancient times people feared this night,
The night they greeted with fright.
Why they were so scared you will soon see,
On this "All Hollows' Eve."

Against the black void, looms the lunar sphere.
Hungry ghosts haunt, satisfied by fright.
Oh my! The children's faces blanch in fear.
And thus the small summit embodies white.

Dwindle do the autumn leaves to the ground.
From the fire, the cold meets its warm demise.
Halloween's favorite gourd, carved and round
And thus the middle is where orange lies.

Farms and tractor-pulled rides, hay is handy.
The black cat's eerie eyes gleam from its face.
The vegetable tastes not like the candy.
And thus concludes yellow to form the base.

White, orange, and yellow make something sweet.
Enjoy some candy corn, Halloween's treat!

I spot the hills
With yellow balls in autumn.
I light the prairie cornfields
Orange and tawny gold clusters
And I am called pumpkins.
On the last of October
When dusk is fallen
Children join hands
And circle round me
Singing ghost songs
And love to the harvest moon;
I am a jack-o’-lantern
With terrible teeth
And the children know
I am fooling.

On one mystic, magic night,
Jack O Lanterns glowing bright,
kids with bags of candy sweet,
roam door to door and street to street,
all dressed up for trick or treat!

Wizards with wands, pirates with hooks,
monsters and clowns with spooky looks,

kings and queens with capes and crowns,
a princess in her royal gown,

witches with warts and fairies with wings
movies stars with sparkling rings,

vampires with fangs that bite,
ghost that boo all dressed in white.

Imaginations taken flight,
on that one mystic, magic night.

Oh, the fun of Halloween,
be young or old or in between!

I saw a shadow passing by,
Thinking it just a trick of the eye.
I turned on the light, but no one was there,
Though I noticed a fragrance, thick in the air.

Convinced all was well, I lay myself down,
But then, without warning, came a frightening sound.
I could hear right beside me, so crystal clear,
Someone was breathing right in my ear.

I turned on the light and jumped out of my bed,
This time I was certain it was not in my head.
The quiet that followed seemed abnormally loud,
And there, in the doorway, I saw a dark cloud.

It floated right toward me as fast as could be,
And then it just stopped, quite suddenly.
And there I could see an old woman's shape,
Dressed in a flowing, black, hooded cape.

Slowly her eyes looked straight into mine,
I felt locked in her stare for what seemed a long time.
But then she just smiled a sick, toothless grin.
As she lapsed into a wild and swift, twirling spin.

I felt mesmerized by this terrible sight,
Unable to move, paralyzed with fright.
And then once again came that sweet, sickening smell,
Perhaps, I was smelling the doorway to hell.

A sinister cackling filled up the room,
She sounded like a murderous, malevolent loon.
She reached out her hands with black, claw-like nails,
And then from her mouth came a torturous wail.

Her spinning slowed down and came to stop,
Just like a child's toy, spinning top.
And then she was gone, she just disappeared.
But I sat there unmoving, still lost in stark fear.

Then I crawled back to bed and curled up by the light.
Grasping my Bible with all of my might.
Praying and praying with heartfelt concern,
That this monstrous spirit might make a return.

I watched as the clock ticked the long night away,
Longing for the light of a brand new day.
And over and over, I relived what I'd seen,
And then suddenly remembered, it was Halloween.

Well it gave me relief; I now lay there quite calm,
The horror I felt was suddenly gone.
That crazy old woman was supposed to be there,
On this day, above all, I deserved one good scare.

Well I felt like a load had been lifted from me,
And as I relaxed I fell quickly to sleep.
But I never forgot what that night I had seen,
And when I was treated to a true Halloween.

In the fairy town of Dragonfly Cove, the air is filled with anticipation
For tonight is the town's biggest event, its Halloween celebration

The fairies are up with the first rays of the sun
Decorating and baking, there is much to be done

In the afternoon, they all take a much-needed rest 
Then they will need plenty of time to get dressed

When the stars come out over Dragonfly Hall
The fairies start arriving for the Halloween Ball

They come all decked out in their finest costumes
Bedazzling in flowers and ribbons and plumes

They admire the costumes of every guest
They all have opinions on which one is best

Platters overflow with food, deliciously divine
To be washed down with a glass of gooseberry wine

The band has set up and is playing a lively tune
The fairies dance until morning by the light of the moon

On this night of spooks and gnomes
Of swooning leaves and cringing crones
Of legends told from ear to ear
Of shrieking cats that grin and sneer

Over the hill and past the tree
A haunted house there said to be
With chill and mist to pierce your soul
And whispering winds to keep you cold

Heed the whispers straight from hell
To keep you safe from witchy spells
For through this night of devilish play
All who tread will rue the day

Dark and mysterious creepy night.
Pumpkin masks shining bright.
Scary monsters, witches' brew.
Trick or treat, you have to choose.

Some dark stranger knocking at my door.
Is he the devil? I'm not too sure.
All I can see is his silhouette.
I've never believed in ghosts, yet still I sweat.

Yes, Halloween's arrived; there's no place to hide
When ghosts and demons come alive.
Halloween night has lost its way.
Too many crazy people now come out to play.

So, I'll close my curtains,
Switch off the lights.
They'll be no Trick or Treat
For me this night.

Jack comes every year to visit me,
And his grin just makes me smile.
Nearly toothless, he doesn't care.
He happily laughs all the while.

Eyes glowing in mirth and merriment,
He makes this time of year happy,
Though he's not much in conversation,
And he has no repartee snappy.

Jack just stays for a few weeks
Every year when the leaves turn yellow.
He's as welcome as he could possibly be.
He's quite the fun old fellow.

Now the sun goes down and the moon comes up,
And the costumed monsters come calling.
Light a candle to get Jack going!
Fast! The eventide's falling!

All Halloween night he sits with me,
Grinning to greet the neighbors
'Til his candle's gone and he goes to sleep.
These are hours that I truly savor.

So long old Jack, tomorrow's November!
We'll see you again next year!
When you come to visit from the pumpkin patch,
We will all be waiting right here!

When leaves start turning orange and golden-brown,
Kids start to dress in costumes so dandy.
For one day a year, all throughout the town
It's time for kids to amass some candy.

Every fun boy and girl shall don the mask,
and with happiness, shall knock on the door.
They all know what question they are to ask
Trick or Treat? I want candy! Give me more!

Up in the sky, with the orange moon so full,
A witch is joined by her fuzzy black cats.
A scarecrow is leaning against a pole.
The silence is broken by shrieking bats.

Halloween is not always full of fright,
for anyone can be a kid that night.

The chilly nights begin tonight.
The haunted houses bring the fright.
The warm bonfires have the flames.
See the leaves rustle through the window frames.

The warm fleece blankets are as soft as a cloud.
I eat more candy than I am allowed.
The spooky stories give me a scare.
Halloween night has fun in the air.

Pumpkin, oh Pumpkin,
Your candle light's bright.
Pumpkin, oh Pumpkin,
You shine bright through the night.

Pumpkin, oh Pumpkin,
You sit on the porch.
Pumpkin, oh Pumpkin,
You're a decorative torch.

Pumpkin, oh Pumpkin,
Your teeth so messed up,
As you smile at the kids,
As cute as a buttercup.

Pumpkin, oh Pumpkin,
You bring me much joy.
Pumpkin, oh Pumpkin,
You make the children overjoyed.

Pumpkin, oh Pumpkin,
You're really a Jack-O'-Lantern.

Elegant in burnt orange afterglow,
Sparkling darkness opens the show.
Strangers arriving from all around;
Some even, from the bad side of town.

They come afoot and driven by car;
Toddlers in strollers, they can't walk far.
Mothers shouting orders to stay in sight,
Transgressors will rightly rue this night.

Flickering lights and untied laces;
Stomping feet going through their paces.
Scampering legs are willing accomplices,
To smiling eyes and hideous faces.

Through the gauntlet of terror they swarm;
Decked to play in pillaging uniform.
Tree and flower tremble and waiver;
Bumped and trampled in their fervor.

Garish masks obscure excited grins.
Shrieks of joy emanate from within.
Ghostly spirits from the bowels of earth,
Hang from limbs, grinning in ghoulish mirth.

Silken chains embracing all who stray,
Beckons the widow to her frightened prey.
Garnished by howling cries of certain demise;
Steaming cauldrons await their fleshy prize.

Engraved heads from the garden of Hades,
Impotent charms to appease candied fantasies,
Festooned arches bedecked in orange and black,
Ornate ornaments to win the neighborhood plaque;

Hostiles charitably looting town;
Sacks of booty slowing them down.
With bulging bags filled with plunder,
The advancing hordes scatter asunder.

Like tocks from a clock, they continue to arrive,
Will the morrow find villagers still alive?
Spades of woe befall each who rashly ignore,
Ominous omens glued to shop window and door.

Pass me by, to my neighbor grace his stage;
Assuage with him your gluttonous rage.
Rapacious hands swaying in ritual dance;
Exuberance untethered in blitzing advance.

Eyeing my castle the motley mobs charge in,
Guarded but by growlin' dog an' smilin' pumpkin;
Upon my stoop they brazenly climb,
My breath on hold, I hear the chime;

My time I fear is near at hand,
My blood or treasure they demand;
Hunkered down and hidden from sight,
No mercy presented for my plight;

With sweaty palms and pounding heart,
Please Lord I pray, make them depart;
For a shot of Scotch I silently scream,
Because I forgot the candy on Halloween!

Creeping, crawling creatures scurry in the night,
Rats and bats and spiders, nibble, out of sight,
Don’t look too carefully,
You’ll get a nasty fright!

Monsters in the bathroom, witches in the hall,
Hairy beasts and demons climbing every wall,
You won’t want to catch them,
When they start to fall!

Vampires’ stealthy footsteps cross the wooden floor,
Werewolves howling fearfully, beyond your kitchen door,
Don’t look outside now,
You won’t want to find out more!

Zombies with their wild eyes and their soulless grins,
Skeletons with their bony cheeks and their missing skins,
Listen for their rattling sounds,
But do not let them in!

Halloween is coming, what a scary night,
Ghosties, ghouls and goblins dancing in the light,
Here they are all coming now, feel the spooky beat,
If you listen, hear ‘em shout:

“TRICK OR TREAT!”

Rattle-skattle skeletons
clitter-clack each bone
Shrieksome banshees circle
and werewolves howl and moan.
Sh-sh-shake and shiver spectres
weeshly whisk along the halls
while plumptious orange pumpkins
throw their shadows on the walls.
Double-trouble witchy twins
are cooking up commotion
with rosy poison apples
bib-bobbing in their potion.
Black cats hide in shadows
with topaz eyes ashine
whilst Mummies gently moulder
in the cellar with the wine.
SCRITCH SCRITCH SCRATCH! and RAT-A-TAT!
Zoiks! Zombies — in the street!
Halloweenies here to party —
and cackling:
TRICK OR TREAT!

Halloween is nearly here.
I’ve got my costume planned.
It’s sure to be the most horrific
outfit in the land.

If you should see me coming
you may scream and hide your head.
My get-up will, I guarantee,
fill every heart with dread.

My costume may cause nightmares.
Yes, my mask may stop your heart.
You might just shriek and wet yourself,
then squeamishly depart.

And yet, I won’t be dressing as
you might expect me to.
I will not be a vampire
or ghost that hollers “boo!”

I won’t look like a werewolf
or a goblin or a ghoul,
or even like a slimy blob
of deadly, dripping drool.

I will not be a zombie
or some other horrid creature.
No, this year I’ll be much, much worse…
I’m dressing as a teacher.

“Halloween is Nearly Here” copyright © 2012 Kenn Nesbitt. All Rights Reserved. Published in The Armpit of Doom. Reprinted by permission of the author. www.poetry4kids.com

What I'm about to tell you, you must keep it on the low.
Vampires are dangerous, so don't tell them no.
They're both beautiful and mysterious,
Big fangs, dressed in black; blood is what they want.
Their unbelievable strength
They run so fast it's hard to escape.
Your pain gives them pleasure.
Remember this if you ever run into one,
For you may be the next if you tell the rest.

Cold night on Craggy Height,
The witches make ready their yearly flight.
Old brooms rewoven, blackest cats chosen.
When they fly tonight, there'll be no dozing.

The Man in the Moon cringes and reels
As the squadron ascends in hair-raising squeals,
Cursing and searching with wide-eyed stares
For the first to be caught, alone, unawares.

One night a year, this horrible team
Is free to wander--on Halloween.
Free to wander through graveyards and homes
Searching for eyes and toes and bones.

Nine "ingredients" in all must be found,
Then drawn and quartered and carefully bound.
For the larders are low, the potions and stews,
The awful black broths, the green gooey brews.

So, beware little frogs, little newts, little boys;
Beware ALL you mortals--make little noise!
For the night is long, and the heyday is high
'Ere the witches remount and return to the sky,
With their treasures all bundled like bogus St. Nicks
To a party up north that I hope you will miss!