Into the Wind

A Demon's Prayer

Upon a bed of decaying foliage--
Lurking just above the wet, slimy earth--
I perch ever so lovely, awaiting my holiday,
For Halloween is mine alone to claim.

Echos of laughter chase Casper as he runs,
I place a basket at each open door where he stops--
A bit of a celebration, a way for me to even the odds,
Chasing ghosts and capturing spirits: it never stops.

I am the prima donna of the seasons four--
Wanting more and more while refusing to behave.
I get what I want with a shrill, demanding whine,
Leaving a string of broken hearts and souls far behind.

But my beauty cannot be matched in all the land--
Not even by those Victorian women who compromised:
A pale face, frail waist, and silently screaming eyes--
Each year my army grows by leaps and hell hounds.

I am the one you've been waiting for these many months
So, pick your poison carefully to carve your fortune out.
Use my empty vessel to place a deceptive light
Where you can be anyone as long as you're dead, like me.

And, like me, then you'll join my army many thousands strong--
To walk the earth on Halloween and between the worlds surf--
Recruiting souls who've lost their way closing off the light
And laughing a demon's prayer heard in every human's heartbeat.