AFTER THE HAUNT IS OVER

Its a long wait for the opportune time

As ghosts gather from near and far

Heeding the scream of a midnight sleeper

Bewitched by visions of a fallen star

The troubled mind tosses on the sweaty bed

Air hangs like death inside a musty book

And around they come the swirling spirits

To chill the soul by hook or by crook

It’s been a while since the last haunt

Not often do they get the chance

To twist imagination and watch

bewitched the horror dance

The face is pallid drained white

Eyeballs roll in sockets within

Fire burning amidst the screams

Generating panic unbidden

Every wraith waits for its due as

The night rolls on between scares

There is order even among the wicked

Nobody cares but everybody shares

And after the haunt the ghosts retreat

Pleased as the human received his due

And they join the lost and forgotten

The file of the shadowy ethereal few

While the dread they have spread takes root,

spreading pallor, draining face

Life's agony suspended in horrific grey

Quickens the heartbeat to irregular pace

Phantasmagoric imagery etches

Imprints deep within the core

And tenebrous visions morph

Until the dark of the night is no more