As a lad, I was a huge fan of TV's "Nightmare Theater," willing myself to stay awake 'til midnight each Friday night to commune with classic monsters and feel the goosebumps rise. As the October holiday approaches, I offer these haiku in homage to Halloween and the great spine tinglers of yesteryear.
But gives no warmth to sleepers
In silence below.
A flutter of wings
Outside the open window.
Red eyes pierce the dark.
Asylum howlings
Rend the night gloom with madness.
Who's that lurking there?
Electric night roars,
Blue fire and static charges
Declare, "It's Alive!"
Oozing slime he comes,
Creature from the Black Lagoon,
Looking for a date
Slow but relentless,
The undead surge in hunger
Yearning for your brain
Four limbs and a head,
All attached to a torso.
Chop. Chop. Chop. Chop...Chop.
Fur and fang combine
To howl at full moon's creeping,
Seeking flesh and blood.
Alien spacemen,
Looking for fodder or fuel.
Mankind will do fine.
