These resplendent works of artist Debbie Criswell are not only charming and whimsical depictions of what we are all looking forward to at the end of this month, but also delightful reminders of the nostalgia we seek to hold onto and create ourselves. I bid you all a long, slow month of days and eves towards our collective fete.
From a 40’s image of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade – a great reminder that there is always room for Halloween in your celebration, and the best use of pumpkin!
I am watching my clock countdown the minutes until this 31st dwindles down to moments and memories. There were a few memorable quirks to the day and the evening, I hope you can all say the same. As the tomb shuts on this Hallow’s Eve, I draw a final breath of cinnamon stick candle wafting up from the scorched insides of gutted gourds, I gather the crinkled remains of candy skins in their bright coverings shriveled and torn, destined for the recycle bin, and take a long last look up and down the street as porch lights dim, jackos darken and light shows blink and die. I sigh, shrug my shoulders, turn and close the door behind me. The house goes dark and here I am at the keyboard…already thinking about Halloween 2018 – I wonder what that escapade will reveal? So much to plan and plot and ply, as the season passes by…so quickly, much too quickly this year. Thanks to all of you who stopped to look around this blog, more thanks to Countdown to Halloween for highlighting another great batch of blogs this year, always so much fun to see what others are up to. I will poke through the leftover candy and ponder…mmmmm….Junior Mints! Rest In Peace Halloween 2017. I will remember you fondly.
Posting a bit of spellcraft to get you through this Friday the 13th – beware, bewitch and bedevil!
Lizard lung
Scent of skull
Serpents tongue
Shipwrecked hull
Toe of frog
Wool of bat
Zombie bog
Screeching cat
Adders fork
Siren scream
Vikings torc
Fiendish gleam
Witches tear
Mandrake wail
Crippling fear
Dragon scale
Belladonna
Monsters moan
Withered sigh
Kidney stone
Ghastly cries
Wisdom tooth
Beedy eyes
Awful truth
Spectral trail
Flaxen hair
Ghostly wail
Piercing stare
Wormwood sliver
Genii gem
Canopic liver
Apple stem
Tastes of the season into the pot,
bubbling and boiling together til hot,
wafting through air, in steamy puffs and in rings,
are the magic spells and smells that Thanksgiving brings.
Thanksgiving Hotpot, A. E., 2013
For one Night only amid the Pall
Of fleeting days that come with Fall
Into that time of lengthy nights
Come Harvest Moon and candy Rites
For this night only Perils walk
And Nightmares wake as mortals gawk
Upon odd Folk on festooned streets
Marauders bent on taking Treats
For one night only alive They seem
To Whimsic frolic as if a dream
To Caper and Croon til Cock will Crow
With fierce abandon They bestow
For one night only We join the Fest
And add our glee to glamour’s Best
To mix Within and earn Their pass
To hide ourselves amid the Mass
For this night only too soon will end
Sun will rise and Barrier mend
They’ll draw away as if a wand
Had swept them off to Their Beyond
For this night only You too will pine
To be among those few Sublime
Who in Their turn will watch and wait
For warmer Seasons to abate
For this night only They will Return
As surely as the candles Burn
And once more will They dance on scene
With all who welcome Halloween!
by A.E., October 2009
I am encountering a rise in anticipation as the Eve approaches and I find that anticipation can quickly turn to anxious knots as preparations progress. Still its not without merit as I liken it to the same apprehension I would feel venturing out into the darkness, drawn towards the smoky lights of flickering jack-o-lanterns, the more ambitious smoke and mirrors of yard haunts, even the rather mundane porch light. In my day (yes, I am that old) we left the house in our made up costumes, lucky enough when Mom took a hand, and with just a group of friends with hands grasping well worn pillowcases, brown paper bags or the (dare to dream) printed plastic shopping bag, with its colorful Halloween images, take ourselves off into the unknown. This New Yorker Magazine cover by Abe Birnbaum is a wonderful image of a group of friends heading out along well worn or maybe undiscovered paths on that annual candy rite of passage. Certainly the prospect of free candy had its merits, but I think it was the absence of adult supervision that really appealed to me. We could go anywhere – talk to anyone – take part in mazes and haunted garages and plans and plots for short-cuts to far off neighborhoods we only really saw from the school bus windows. It was a no holds barred aberration of rules, instead of being home before the street lights came on we made our way through the darkness to those elusive flickering lights of yards and doorways, instead of making certain we were dressed appropriately for our destination we chose the rattiest or gaudiest draping we could find to deck ourselves out to fit our idea of “witch” or “ghoul” or “Batman” or “princess” and instead of being told we couldn’t have one more piece of candy, we could gorge as we went along, sure in the knowledge of one more street to plunder before the porches went dark. Sigh. So despite the hype of candy checking and actual horror of “trunk o treating” I extend my heartfelt appreciation to those of you still doing it the old fashioned way on both sides of the door. To you Trick or Treaters and Haunters everywhere making the journey and the destination equally worthwhile.
This one I will preface by saying you may have noticed in my header the lines from a poem that I change occasionally. I post it here in its complete form, I hope you enjoy it. The work was inspired by this stamp image that I once purchased after customizing with a line from my poem. I am getting these again this year for my Halloween invites, you can purchase by the sheet, these are a great product offered by Zazzle.com go online and pick and choose and edit to your hearts desire. Can’t wait to use these again. Enjoy!
“Stroll with me beneath the Moon,
for surely They’ll be coming soon
to share with us the deepening gloom,
that must be Halloween.
Fellow Revelers walk this Night,
as They awake from yearly plight
deprived til now of sweet delight,
that must be Halloween.
Mischievousness the only goal,
for these few hours on parole.
And none but They could be so droll
that must be Halloween.
Sorry am I that They must wait,
upon the Eve to cross the gait.
Alas that is Their yearly Fate,
that must be Halloween.
All too soon the Night will fade,
and All shall pass into the Shade
to wait upon the next parade,
that must be Halloween.
Perhaps you’ll stroll with me once more,
when Gate stands wide and Spirits tour.
No other sight stir’s my hearts core,
that must be Halloween.”
-AE
I haven’t yet thanked everyone out there who is stopping by to visit – the days (and nights) are quickly passing and our Big Night is advancing and I wanted to reach out a bit and express my gratitude to Countdown to Halloween blogspot for hosting their compendium of Halloween blogs again this year. It’s a great concept and much appreciated by me not only to be included but to have access to so many interesting and quirky blogs. Fun to see so many sides to Halloween, the different perspectives and niche interests that expand and expound the experience. If you are of the same mind, just click the Cryptkeeper button at the right to delve into the deep end yourself.
I am highlighting some of my writing this October, so if you stay awhile I hope you enjoy some of what I have and will be posting and this Mirth and Musings highlights another of my New Yorker covers. I love the mischief in her eyes, seemingly to catch a peek at some malevolence to be sure. Perhaps she is waiting to take a hand, or just enjoying the dreadfulness from afar…sure in her ability to provoke and promote misdeeds herself and appreciating others efforts. In either case, that piercing gaze would unsettle my mettle. Wonderful.
Rogers Gardens has announced their annual Halloween Boutique Opening “Grimm Tales” will debut on Friday, September 2nd @ 9:00am! Visiting this amazing boutique yearly has become a favorite for me and I hope you find time to stop by, it will not disappoint.
“…and the Storyteller paused…
and it was as if the wonders he retold had cast a spell upon him…”-A.E.
“The forest is dark and enchanted…branches creak and leaves rustle as trees close in, obscuring the path home. Wander deep into the shadows and you’ll find frightful folklores, fantastical stories and chilling tales. These bedtime stories will give you nightmares, and you’ll discover that not all fairy tales end happily-ever-after.” –Rogers Gardens