Thread: A collection of poetry by Haunted Horseman

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From the author who brought you guys, 'The Christmas Pumpkin', AND creator of the thread 'A Poem a Day Until Halloween' (on our previous Halloween site, the source from which I am transferring these works of art), I bring you the REST of the brilliant works from one Haunted Horseman, a very special friend and greatly admired poet......

After Labor Day

As the long hot summer begins to yawn,
Autumn stirs to an awaking dawn:
Heat and haze step aside at last,
As cooling winds are arriving fast;
Birds of summer ready their wings,
On the southern jet stream all hope clings;
Woodland creatures prepare their stock,
For Winter's power they dare not mock;
It's back to work for human kind,
And a hard adjustment most will find;
But we welcome the changes with a sounding cheer,
For we all know, Halloween will soon be here.

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September 5th was a day not to miss,
I spent most the day making a Halloween list;
Ghosts and Goblins, Witches and Cats,
Pumpkins and vampires, skeletons and Bats;
These thoughts got me going and I couldn't stop,
I grabbed a knife and pumpkin and started to chop;
With all the excitement I completely forgot,
By Halloween night my JOL would certainly rot!

Ooops!

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LOVE this one -

The Pumpkin Patch
by HH

It started one winter as a famer's thought,
To fill an abandoned field, a crop he sought;
A field of orange would fit just right,
To undo its look of years of blight;

As Spring arrived the seeds were set,
With plenty of rain, his goal would be met;
Early summer arrived at the usual time,
To greet the ever growing vines;

And after many days of the sun's summer glare,
Little green bulbs the plants did bear;
These bulbs grew big as time progressed,
From green to orange they gradually transgressed;

As big beautiful pumpkins began to manifest,
The village's attention upon his field did certainly rest;
What the farmer clearly did not expect,
Was that his creation would have such an effect;

The children came from miles around,
To visit and frolic on this hallowed ground;
To pick the perfect Halloween treat,
Was a task every Boy and Girl would try to meet:

When Halloween came the town was a glow,
Jack-o-Lanterns from street to street and row to row;
The farmer never realized the joy his field could hatch,
But now he knew the magic of a pumpkin patch.

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March of the Skeletons
By Haunted Horseman

The graveyard was silent, not a mortal in sight,
A fitting place to be on Halloween night;

The night wind blew the leaves and howled with glee,
Through the tombstones, crosses, mausoleums and trees;

The clock struck twelve and with one thunderous shot,
The clouds parted ways and moonlight hit the spot;

Black crows and bats filled the sky in flight,
As a great owl watched on from a tree of great height;

It was precisely this moment they woke from their rest,
To jump about, sing, march, dance and jest;

They rose from the earth without malice intent,
They'd visit the living for only an evening's stent;

Their bones rattled, dangled, wiggled and popped,
The ghastly show they put on could never be topped;

If you could see them perform, what a review you would write,
The march of the skeletons, what a marvelous fright!

This is my FAVORITE one, HH!!!


The Ballad of the Headless Horseman

By Haunted Horseman


It began like few others, a life so privileged and blessed,
A life of wealth, theatre, music, learning and chess;

Then things did change, a blood feud nothing less,
Had spawned, broad and reaching, touching all Lords of Hess;

Three years of fighting did follow, before an end was in sight,
But the fortunes and fates, dealt a hand cursed with night;

A boy only a decade and one half would gruesomely attest,
The death of his father, his mother, family reputation and crest;

With no where to turn, the boy fled to the East,
He'd take up the sword, on violence his anger would feast;

As the years did past, he grew skilled, powerful and strong,
A warrior for hire, all causes welcome whether righteous or wrong;

His travel brought him far, across the oceans and sea,
To the service of the Crown against those striving to be free;

On the field of battle he fought, spreading mayhem and slaughter,
To those begging for mercy, he extended no quarter;

Then on faithful day, the tables did turn,
The sound of cannon, the feel pain and fire burn;

In the midst of the fighting, to an end came his fame,
As his head, steed and life, a cold ball of steel, did claim;

But such evil he wrought, when he wore his mortal coil,
That his soul would be cursed to the land, to wander and toil;

Tied to the earth, where is body did fall,
Patrolling the Hallow at the Devil's behest, heed and call;

At midnight each night, his spirit does ride,
In search of a head to replace the gourd at his side;

So be warned all travelers who do not respect this wraith,
An encounter with the headless horseman will undoubtedly strengthen your faith.

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Halloween is Coming
By Haunted Horseman

Halloween is coming, I can smell it in the air,
Halloween is coming, and I don't know what to wear;

Pumpkins are being carved into fun and frightful shapes,
As dozens of little girls are trying on their witch's capes;

The candy's being readied in every neighborhood house,
As the local back cat is catching her 13th mouse;

The mercury has dropped to create a brisk afternoon,
As the wind is blowing leaves about and whistling a spooky tune;

Halloween is coming, the excitement’s building fast,
Halloween is coming, the fun is here at last.

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AND:

The Cat
by Headless Horseman

Prowling the twilight in silent stalk,
Eyes that glow as strong as a hawk;
As quick as lightning, she moves from sight,
Colored black as the darkest night;
Witch’s ally the legends teach,
A sacred bond they dare not breach;
Solitary hunters that own the night,
To superstitious men a source of fright;
But on Halloween she’s valued most,
The cat is Queen and deserves a toast.


Please, please, deliver us more works of art to be treasured, HH!!!

Thank you Laurie. I'm deeply flattered and honored that you'd think my humble works from the previous site are worthy of reposting here. I will certainly try to add to the collection.

I look very much forward to that, HH! I wouldn't consider your works thus far 'humble' at ALL..

The Winter Woods
A short story in poetic verse
by Haunted Horseman

My tale begins more than a century ago,
Before machines were king and electricity glowed;

A man beset with an age-old disease,
At the mercy of gold his will was seized;

He journeyed west against the advice of most,
Abandoned his loved ones for the golden host;

To beat the rush that Spring would bring,
He entered the wilderness ignoring Winter’s sting;

Just man and mule this party made,
Across the Sierras his trail would surely fade;

The nights were cold beyond his wildest dream,
In the hands of nature, his fate would seem;

The weather was cruel and merciless at best,
Snow, sleet and ice hampered any rest;

After a week of wondering it became abundantly clear,
That his food was waning became his biggest fear;

It was at this point that his luck seemed to change,
As an Indian scout did cross his range;

A benevolent soul who offered a chance,
To lead him back to civilization’s branch;

Refusal with rage is what the scout received,
For Yellow Fever, it’s victim never leaves;

But before the Brave set out on his way,
He gave a warning that would encompass the day;

“Beware the moon for what it brings,
When the sky is full the demons will sing;
Soulless creatures will search these woods,
In search of blood, not earthly goods;”

The traveler only laughed as he checked his gun,
“Start walking my friend,” he said, “before you have to run”;

The very next night, he was woke from his sleep,
Howls in the distance, the darkness did reap;

The following night, the cries seemed very near,
As the emotion of greed was overtaken by fear;

On the third night, with gun loaded he’d wait;
To face this evil head on, using his mule as bait;

When the darkness came, so did a legion of creatures,
Black shadowy shapes, of both animal and human features;

With ungodly speed the beast of burden was taken,
Its horrifying screams left his nerves rattled and shaken;

He fired both barrels in the direction of the fray,
But it was too late to save her, as they took her as prey;

He ran in complete panic, destination unknown,
Away from the carnage and spine chilling groans;

The next morning he woke disoriented and alone,
No food, gun or supplies, it was pointless to roam;

With no other choice he envisioned a plan,
A ring of fire he’d build to last an evening’s span;

When the darkness fell, his bonfire did rage,
As he sat dead center, like a rat in a cage;

When the evil arrived, the fire kept them at bay,
Encircling the encampment, growling and darting each way;

But as the night grew old, the weather turned on a dime,
From a clear cold night, to the storm of its time;

As the wind, rain and snow, fell fast from the sky,
It became very clear that his fire would soon die;

He sat there in terror as the flames slowly shrank,
As the creatures drew closer, his heart surely sank;

As the fire light faded in the blackness of the night,
Glowing eyes, fangs and claws came into his sight;

He took one last breath as he faced certain doom,
With one blood-curling scream, the winter woods became his tome.

This is awesome work. Thanks for posting!

HH!!!! MY word!!! I don't know man, I know I've said this before, but I believe that's your best one YET!!! I MEAN it this time!! I sat completely absorbed in this one, SO into your story.....whoa....when inspiration hits you, it really strikes deep! Excellent, just excellent work!!!!! And now, to go back and read it again!..

This story is ridiculous!! It's wonderful!! Here I am reading it again tonight ...you gotta be so proud of yourself, HH, I would be too if I could write even an 1/8 this well, hehehe...I hope a lot of readers see this, man!!

Thanks Madame and Laurie. You guys are too kind. I was concerned that it was going to be too long and lose the reader. Thank you for taking the time to read it. I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I'll keep my senses on the alert for new inspiration. We've got to get this thread humming.

HH I never get tired of your poetry!! Your poems should be published!! Please give us some more!!