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The Vampire
By Rudyard Kipling

(The verses—as suggested by the painting by Philip Burne-Jones,
first exhibited at the new gallery in London in 1897.)

A fool there was and he made his prayer
(Even as you or I!)
To a rag and a bone and a hank of hair,
(We called her the woman who did not care),
But the fool he called her his lady fair—
(Even as you or I!)

Oh, the years we waste and the tears we waste,
And the work of our head and hand
Belong to the woman who did not know
(And now we know that she never could know)
And did not understand!

A fool there was and his goods he spent,
(Even as you or I!)
Honour and faith and a sure intent
(And it wasn't the least what the lady meant),
But a fool must follow his natural bent
(Even as you or I!)

Oh, the toil we lost and the spoil we lost
And the excellent things we planned
Belong to the woman who didn't know why
(And now we know that she never knew why)
And did not understand!

The fool was stripped to his foolish hide,
(Even as you or I!)
Which she might have seen when she threw him aside—
(But it isn't on record the lady tried)
So some of him lived but the most of him died—
(Even as you or I!)

And it isn't the shame and it isn't the blame
That stings like a white-hot brand—
It's coming to know that she never knew why
(Seeing, at last, she could never know why)
And never could understand!

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Random Poetry Prompt
Write a personification poem from the point of view of Halloween candy.
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October Contest 2021:

There is one week left in our October contest, you still have time to get your entries in.  We invite all of our members to join us in exploring our "Haunted Mansion"!! We want to hear what tales you have to tell, about this spooky old house.  You can find out all about it in this month's contest book.  We look forward to reading your spooky, scary poems!!

POEM A WEEK CHALLENGE:

The purpose of this challenge is to simply encourage writing, taking the time, at least once a week, to get a poem from your brain on to paper.  If you would like to participate, the "how to" is below.

2021 Poem-a-Week Participants

A Paintbucket of Words by nubivagant_words

Genteel Reveries of an Outrié Poetess by MystresMyna

Petals of a Rose by Alkymarz

A New Leaf by most_bay

Five Drops of Ink by je2suisChris

Woven Threads by enchanting_figments

My One Last Gasp by BillTemple1957

Even As We Speak by MichaelTyger

Love Wings by PriscillaYiadom4

Please stop by and check out their books, show them some Poets Pub love!

IF I MISSED ANYONE, PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND I WILL ADD YOUR NAME TO THE LIST!

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Poem-a-Week Prompt
Week Forty-Three Prompt
Write a horror acrostic poem using the words "Trick or Treat".
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storytellers-saloon

Busted Gulch Vol. 15 Update:

A couple of strangers have turned up in Busted Gulch.  Mr. and Mrs. Stone have gotten themselves a room at the hotel and they seem to be scoping out the town.  It seems that their intentions are nefarious, as they are speaking of heading to Tent City, apparently to kidnap a child.

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Random Poetry Prompt
Write a poem telling YOUR idea of the origins of Halloween.
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The Vampire Bride [I am come-I am come!]
By Henry Thomas Liddell

"I am come—I am come! once again from the tomb,
    In return for the ring which you gave;
That I am thine, and that thou art mine,
    This nuptial pledge receive."

He lay like a corse 'neath the Demon's force,
    And she wrapp'd him in a shround;
And she fixed her teeth his heart beneath,
    And she drank of the warm life-blood!

And ever and anon murmur'd the lips of stone,
    "Soft and warm is this couch of thine,
Thou'lt to-morrow be laid on a colder bed—
    Albert! that bed will be mine!"

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Black Cat
By Rainer Maria Rilke

A ghost, though invisible, still is like a place
your sight can knock on, echoing; but here
within this thick black pelt, your strongest gaze
will be absorbed and utterly disappear:

just as a raving madman, when nothing else
can ease him, charges into his dark night
howling, pounds on the padded wall, and feels
the rage being taken in and pacified.

She seems to hide all looks that have ever fallen
into her, so that, like an audience,
she can look them over, menacing and sullen,
and curl to sleep with them. But all at once

as if awakened, she turns her face to yours;
and with a shock, you see yourself, tiny,
inside the golden amber of her eyeballs
suspended, like a prehistoric fly.

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Song of the Witches
By William Shakespeare

From Macbeth, Act IV, Scene 1

Round about the cauldron go:
In the poisoned entrails throw.
Toad, that under cold stone
Days and nights has thirty-one
Sweated venom sleeping got,
Boil thou first i' the charmed pot.

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Fillet of a fenny snake,
In the cauldron boil and bake;
Eye of newt and toe of frog,
Wool of bat and tongue of dog,
Adder's fork and blind-worm's sting,
Lizard's leg and owlet's wing.
For a charm of powerful trouble,
Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.

Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Scale of dragon, tooth of wolf,
Witch's mummy, maw and gulf
Of the ravin'd salt-sea shark,
Root of hemlock digg'd i' the dark,
Liver of blaspheming Jew;
Gall of goat; and slips of yew
Sliver'd in the moon's eclipse;
Nose of Turk, and Tartar's lips;
Finger of birth-strangled babe
Ditch-deliver'd by a drab,
Make the gruel thick and slab:
Add thereto a tiger's chaudron,
For the ingredients of our cauldron.

Double, double toil and trouble,
Fire burn and cauldron bubble.

Cool it with a baboon's blood,
Then the charm is firm and good.

Soooo, next weekend is HALLOWEEN!! Woot Woot!! I love this time of year, seeing all the costumes, decorating, carving pumpkins, all of it is so much fun.  This year we have decided to all dress up as zombies!! We also have the tradition of watching "The Nightmare Before Christmas" after we have gone trick-or-treating.  Do you have any Halloween traditions?  We would love to hear about them in the comments below.

I hope everyone has a super-spooky week!!
Remember to... keep those pens and keyboards flying!!

Cheers from you Mystres of Chatter
MystresMyna