Sunday, October 28, 2007

Something Seasonal...

"Imagine if you will, ..." Stephen Crane goes to a Halloween Party, dressed as Edger Allen Poe, and when he gets there decides to pretend that he's Rabbie Burns....

Thats kinda what happened when I wrote this poem. I started it months ago when I was reading Crane, went back to it when I was reading Poe, and finished it while reading Burns.

The Crane language is still somewhat there, so to is the Poe influence, and every time I swear off the Braid-Scots something like this seems to channel itself on through.




Samhainn:



gaunt,

sooted figures


knick knock, knick knock!


tangled limbs

a motioning mass


knick knock, knick knock!


some pallid,

and in strange postures


knick knock, knick knock!


some for the Charnel house

squalling and squawking


knick knock, knick knock!


the tangled limbs

unravel feverishly


knick knock, knick knock!


twisting their fists

in tired eye sockets


knick knock, knick knock!


laggard and blind

the unfortunates rail


knick knock, knick knock!


others play mawbles

and wag thair tails


knick knock, knick knock!


the Listener awakens

from her long dirt nap


knick knock, step back


Open-up Auntie!

Tis batterin' door nicht!


knick knock, We'r bak!


Open-up Auntie!

We'v cum for oor candies!


knick knock, knick knock!


the Listener rises

approaches the door


knick knock, knick knock!


A'm cumin mae pritys

ar ye bak for so-moor?


knick knock, knick knock!


soory Ayam mae weens

bot ye've pickit mae cleen


knick knock, knick knock!


Aa A've got left

is 6 feet o 'ert


knick knock, knick knock!


yae an mae booth

atween…


knick knock, knick knock!

knick knock, knick knock!


knick-


obeedude 17-18/Oct/07





The original title was the colloquial "Hallaleen." The Festival of Samhain however is a celebration of the end of the harvest season in Gaelic culture. A modernized version of this festival continues today in some of the traditions of the Catholic All Soul's day, the secular Halloween, and in folk practices of Samhain itself in the Celtic Nations and the Irish and Scottish Diasporas. It is also observed by various types of Neo-pagans.

As it is set in the Celtic culture and not 20th century America as it originally started out, the Celtic title seemed more appropriate. It also doesn't give too much away right off. I liked the way it seemed to start out Trick-or-Treat and instead turned Ghost Story while I was writing it. Hope you did too. It sounds better out load. The Knick-knock battering on the door sound, that is actually scratching on the inside of the coffin, works best this way.

Happy Hallaleen!
obeedude 28/Oct/07