“Hallowe’en”

HALLOWEEN

Its  Halloween

And shapes scarce seen

Are darting through the air.

The ghosts are out,

They’re all about,

They’re flitting here and there.

Along the street

With nimble feet,

A crowd of spooks I see

With laughter gay,

They’re off, away,

With whispers fraught with glee.

At twelve o’clock

A frightful knock

Comes crashing through the night,

But when I go

The cause to know

There’s not a soul in sight.

The window next

With no protest

Gives out an awesome shriek,

But when I race

And search the place,

In vain for ghosts I seek.

Sometimes they bring

Near everything

And leave it at my door:

But when I wake

I find they take

As much, and often more.

And when at last

The night is past

I gaze upon strange sights;

A rope is strung

Tree tops among,

And graced with scarlet tights.

A neighbor’s cart

Has come apart

And roost upon our shed:

Our swing is gone,

But on our lawn

There sets an ancient bed.

The village crank

Is out to spank

The kids that brought him leaves:

Some urchins bright

Just out of sight

Are laughing up their sleeves.

Its Halloween

And shapes unseen

Are flitting through the dark:

On phantom wings

Strange ghostly things

Now have their yearly lark.

The kids are out

In madcap rout

To have their yearly lark.

“What the boys did to the cow”

Image 1 retrieved from:

http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchdetail.cfm?trg=1&strucID=1065700&imageID=1587802&word=halloween&s=1&notword=&d=&c=&f=&k=0&lWord=&lField=&sScope=&sLevel=&sLabel=&sort=&total=21&num=0&imgs=20&pNum=&pos=2#_seemore

Image Title:  Hallowe’en. Item Physical Description: 1 postcard : col., embossed ; 8.9 x 14 cm.

 Source: Holiday postcards / Halloween; Source Description: 17 postcards : col. ; 9 x 14 cm.

Location: Mid-Manhattan Library / Picture Collection;  Catalog Call Number: PC POC – Halloween; Digital ID: 1587802; Record ID: 1065700

 Image 2 retrieved from:

http://digitalgallery.nypl.org/nypldigital/dgkeysearchdetail.cfm?trg=1&strucID=1065698&imageID=1587798&word=halloween&s=1&notword=&d=&c=&f=&k=0&lWord=&lField=&sScope=&sLevel=&sLabel=&sort=&total=21&num=0&imgs=20&pNum=&pos=16#_seemore

Image Title:  What the boys did to the cow. Additional Name(s): Julius Bien & Co. — Publisher

Source: Holiday postcards / Halloween; Location: Mid-Manhattan Library / Picture Collection

Catalog Call Number: PC POC – Halloween; Digital ID: 1587798; Record ID: 1065698