When just a kid of nine or eight--
I wasn’t half so bad;
I cleaned my room and cleaned my plate
to make my mother glad.
But Halloween, it seemed to me,
was made for cutting loose;
the day invites a boy to be
a wild and silly goose.
And so I headed out one night
with empty bag and soap--
with lots of neighbors doors in sight
and dreams of sugared hope.
The candy rolled like jelly beans
that fill a magic chute--
in half an hour my bag and jeans
were stuffed with chocolate loot.
But then I reached a creepy house
where no one lived for years.
I climbed the steps, a quiet mouse,
and overcame my fears.
I gave the door a tap and heard
a low and eerie howl.
I told myself: It’s just a bird,
a lonely wretched owl!
I didn’t hear another sound;
the place was like a tomb.
I felt my heart begin to pound--
I didn’t like the gloom.
I soaped the windows fast and neat
with letters clear and thick:
I CAME BUT DIDN’T GET A TREAT.
I HOPE YOU LIKE MY TRICK!
I felt a giggle start to rise
from somewhere deep within,
but then I saw a pair of eyes
above a scary grin.
It hovered there behind the glass:
a man of greenish hue.
And then, as if a ghostly gas,
he quickly floated through.
I thought to run but couldn’t budge—
my feet were stuck like glue.
My legs, it felt, were filled with fudge—
my toes were filled with goo.
He grinned at me and coldly said,
in words that chilled me through:
It isn’t nice to wake the dead,
so here’s a trick for you:
when just a kid of nine or eight,
the very same as you,
they used to call me Nasty Nate,
but you can call me… BOO!!!
I must have jumped a dozen feet
and whirled like a top.
I think my heart forgot to beat—
I ran and didn’t stop!
I reached our yard and jumped the gate,
then bounded up to bed.
I still could hear old Nasty Nate
resounding in my head:
When just a kid of nine or eight,
the very same as you,
they used to call me Nasty Nate,
but you can call me… BOO!!!
I lost my bag of chocolate treats;
I guess they fed the ants.
The rest I lost beneath the sheets—
they melted in my pants!
So now I stick to being nice
and leave my tricks at home.
I hope you’ll take the good advice
contained within my poem.
