Sordid
Little
Secrets
In a room where no one tells
Money
Greed
& Power
And a host of ugly smells
The object of possession
The tinsel and the town
The only joy you have
Is knocking people down
Huge hatreds boiling up
Underneath the skin
Don't know how to walk away
Don't know how to win
We can never stop
Being what we've done
Little demons scamper
In the light of the sun
by Richard W. Bray
We will find no comfort until the night melts away; until the fury of the night rots out its fire.
-Djuna Barnes, Watchman, What of the Night?
Get home before the sun goes down
This ain't no ordinary town
Cool your mind – keep out of sight
Don't bestir the doom of night
Hairy hounds released from hell
Zombies under wicked spells
Fiends and fury from The Fall
Moloch Gorgon Satan Baal
Tell-Tale Heart – The Witch of Coos
Now it's time to pay your dues
Spirits demons lunatics
I hope your house is made of bricks
Stay inside and lock the door
Don't look outside – don't ask wherefore
Calm your heart and clear your head
Keep a lantern by your bed
by Richard W. Bray
Hyenas hustle
Curtains rustle
Candles flicker
Spirits snicker
What's that
Frazzlepat?
Jiggling bed's
Just in my head
Somewhere
Over the cuckoo's nest
I shut my eyes
But there isn't any rest
by Richard W. Bray
Ghosts
Sleeping in my chamber
I was awakened by a sound
Oblivious to danger
I got up to look around
Darkly beckoned onward
I chased a ghost that night
It led me down a hallway
I could not contain my fright
It hovered near a doorway
And exploded on the floor
And a thousand little spirits
Scampered neath the door
Hesitating for a moment
I summoned all my guts
And thought, “If I’m not dreaming
I must be going nuts.”
Placing hand on doorknob
I pushed open the creaking door
I didn’t know what I was seeking
I had no wish to explore—
The room was filled with goblins
And other creatures of lore
I tried to avert my eyeballs
As the specter began to pour
Red liquid into a chalice
But it did not look like wine
I wondered whose house this was
Surely it couldn’t be mine
I walked up to the fellow, knees quaking
It was time to make a stand
And with my fist ashaking
I said, “I do demand
That you and ghoulish posse
Vacate my home forthwith
I’m not one to be haunted
By creatures out of myth!”
Suddenly there was silence
All eyes affixed to me
I feared they’d do me violence
It seemed an eternity
The specter appeared to smile
And with a wave of his hand
He sent the other monsters
To some foreign land
He looked straight in my eye
And said, “Let me explain
My creepy friends and I
Live inside of your brain”
Then I was awakened
By a ringing telephone
I jumped up forsaken
No time to be alone
I picked up the receiver
A voice much like my own:
“Now you can be a believer”
Static. Click. Dial tone.
by Richard W. Bray
(Since it’s that season, you can find more scary poems here, here, here, and here)
Creatures
Creatures you’ll meet
Out on my street:
Goblins, vampires
Shrunken head buyers
Gargoyles, zombies
Brain-dead mummies
Giant spiders
Headless riders
Grimmer Reapers
Crawly creepers
Werewolves, Frank Stein
Are not friends mine
No joy for me
Just lost my key
Locked out, late night
Cold air, fresh fright
Who could this be?
Someone help me
It’s moved closer
I’m safe? No, sir
Mommy, save me
It might grave me
Neighbor Louise
With my spare keys
“Thank you!” I gush
Inside. Big rush
by Richard W. Bray
The Kingdom of Homophonia
On a cold, damp night, the king’s favorite knight
Was feeling a little bit hoarse
Although not allowed, he wasn’t too proud
For singing aloud to his horse
(The horse, named Harry, had a brother named Larry
Who was truly more hairy than he)
Now Harry could see it was scary to be
Overlooking great cliffs by the sea
Of course, man and horse followed coarse course
Towards the castle of Don Palindrome
They had chosen to roam to the city of Rome
For that’s where the Don made his home
At a quarter to eight, the two stopped and ate
On a knoll by the side of the trail
The pair had fair fare: an apple, a pear,
And barbecued brisket of quail
They rode down the road and passed a plain plane
Which they had not seen in the past
Man slept as horse led, though its legs felt like lead
They no longer traveled so fast
When the brave knight awoke, a spooky voice spoke,
“Just what are you doing down here?”
A giant hole had swallowed them whole
And something quite scary was near
A sorceress named Shirley appeared and exclaimed,
“Surely, you will die today!
You’ve discovered our coven and you will know
Why visitors do not get away.”
The young knight interjected he had not detected
Which witch was truly in charge
When an old witch named Carrie proceeded to carry
A bucket that was rather large
Gizzards and guts from previous guests
(Who’s to say whose innards they were)
The knight turned pale as he peered in the pail
Staggering away from her
Carrie declared, “They’re two victims right there.
And their hides ain’t going nowhere.
You’re aware that in hours your flesh will be ours
You’ll make a delicious pair”
The two were too scared and quite unprepared
To wind up as anyone’s meal
For four long days, witches roasted and braised
When Beth finally said to Lucille,
“I’d like you to meet the meat we will eat.
It’s time to sprinkle in thyme
And oh, by the way, how much do they weigh?
Does anyone have any lime?”
Although in a daze from not eating for days
The knight had come up with a plan
He had been able to steal a sharp piece of steel
Which he hid in the palm of his hand
Not able to cut clear through the knot
He managed to slide around
Then Harry bit through and off they threw
The cords which held them down
They had no time to heal with witches at heel
As they headed back to the trail
By the hair on his tail, Harry’s speed did prevail
And they both lived to tell this tale
by Richard W. Bray
Myrtle Myers
Myrtle Myers bought some pliers
At the hardware store
She took them home and all alone
She broke down the door
The next day she found a way
To make the toilet flood
She took a wrench from daddy’s bench
And made a great big thud
Unperturbed, her mother purred
“Well, girls they will be girls
All this rage is just a stage
She has such darling curls”
Then Myrtle took an evil look
At her mother’s dress
It made her think and with some ink
She made a lovely mess
Yet with rage unassauged
She shaved her sister’s head
With kerosene and gasoline
She burned her brother’s bed
Undistressed, her father guessed
“It’s just a child at play
They’re just jealous, those who tell us
To have her put away”
Her parents planned a party grand
Just to celebrate
Her twelfth birthday, and by the way
Myrtle showed up late
No girls nor boys bearing toys
Decided to attend
Although assured the girl was cured
They feared their lives might end
As her family huddled, scared and befuddled
By her piercing stare
Myrtle growled and then she howled
“I publicly declare
“This can’t be true! What did you do
To make them stay away?
You’ll all be blue and live to rue
This catastrophic day!”
Myrtle made a bomb that day
Intending to destroy
Her own home town and miles around
And every girl and boy
But in her hurry, she forgot to scurry
Away from her invention
She’s gone away, I’m sad to say
Results of ill intention
Her parents pleaded all she needed
Was love and understanding
And though it’s true that we all do
Life is more demanding
It takes affection to give direction
And most kids do not mind
Those restrictions and prohibitions
Which seem to some unkind
by Richard W. Bray
The House of the Dead
Terrence, Timmy, Becky and Fred
Went to visit The House of the Dead
Terrence was frightened but Becky said,
“C’mon guys, it’s just an old shed”
Timmy stammered, “Did you hear about Ned?
He disappeared the night he was wed.
His widow claims that although he fled
Spirits dragged him back to the House of the Dead”
Becky said, “Timmy, you’re just a scardy cat.
Ned went back to pick up his hat.”
“I heard,” said Fred “That he found his hat
But lost his life. How about that?”
“You know,” Said Terrence, “I think we should scat
Cuz’ I just saw a big black cat.”
Then Tommy bumped into a great big bat
And screamed for his mommy who had warned him that
The House of the Dead was no place to play
And prudent people knew to stay away
But Becky was fearless on that fateful day.
She continued down the spooky walkway
Terrence and Timmy turned and ran away
But Fred got up the nerve to say,
“Now Becky you know I’d rather not stay
But I couldn’t just leave you alone that way.”
Becky said, “Terrence, do what you will
I’m not about to miss out on a thrill.”
Terrence shrugged off a great big chill
And followed her up the haunted hill
The two trekked on by force of will
And boldly ignored with majestic skill
The squeals and screeches, wicked and shrill
Made by spirits that maim and kill
After they opened the creaking door
She grabbed his arm and they walked ‘cross the floor
Then they saw what they were looking for
Grisly guts and gruesome gore
And a hideous specter which they could not ignore
Appeared behind them and locked the door
He said, “Have a seat, I do implore
And I’ll tell you a story about the woman I adore
Her name is Rebecca, just like you
She died in Seventeen Seventy-Two
When a man named Oliver Sutton Drew
Shot her and her lover, Winthrop Larue
Oliver died a young man too
He was sent to the gallows for the people he slew
Now the three of us have nothing to do
But frighten poor young fools like you.”
Two bloody bodies appeared next to Fred
Their faces filled with terror and dread
Becky grabbed a bar made of lead
And threw it through the window next to the bed
As one of the ghosts removed its head
They tried to climb out then dove instead
They followed their trail back where it led
And never returned to The House of the Dead
by Richard W. Bray
A Monster’s Worst Nightmare
There was a dragon in my room
I slew him with a fork and spoon
And cooked it on my brand new grill
My mom and dad couldn’t get their fill
A vampire tried to bite my neck
I turned and said, “Hey, what the heck?”
I grabbed a pencil from my desk
And shoved it deep into his chest
While walking on a moonlit night
A werewolf tried to pick a fight
But I showed him my silver knife
And he went running for his life
A haunted house is where I play
And when a ghost gets in my way
One curse and three Latin chants
Scares him right out of his pants
Frankenstein thinks he’s so vicious
And I’ll admit he is pernicious
But he’s so easy to short-circuit
If you know just how to work it
The loch-Ness monster got in my tub
When it was time to rub-dub-dub
I lured him like all other fishes
My family said he was delicious
I’m not a guy who likes to boast
But mess with me and you are toast
Warning monsters: If you see me
I suggest you let me be
by Richard W. Bray
Sunny Street School
At Sunny Street School in Room Seventeen
Is the scariest teacher this world’s ever seen
So you better not mess with little Miss Green
She’s downright sadistic, not merely mean
She’s a hideous monster with a teaching degree
And she’s sure to scare you the way she scared me
When she threatened to feed me to her pet killer bees
When all I had done was ask to go pee
Did you hear about Steven who lives up the street?
He wouldn’t stand straight so she cut off his feet
And poor Patty Proctor was incurably sweet
Miss Green sent her swimming in a block of concrete
Young Horace forgot his homework one day
And we all knew that he would have to pay
When all the other kids were sent out to play
Horace was crated and shipped to Bombay
If you get on this woman’s bad side
You could be sent on a very long ride
Or end up looking like Frankenstein’s bride
She’s wicked and weird, it can’t be denied
by Richard W. Bray
Laughter hope sock in the eye's Blog 