It’s that time of year again! Halloween! Time for ghosts,
goblins, ghouls, a touch of suspense, a bit of mystery, and poems to fit the
occasion! Located on the calendar between autumn and winter, harvest and
scarcity, Halloween is associated with early festivals and traditions,
especially the Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced SAH-win). Samhain,
the Celtic New Year, was celebrated on November 1st. At Samhain, Celts gathered
around bonfires lit to honor the dead, believing that the wall between worlds
was at its thinnest and that the ghosts of the dead could re-enter the material
world to mingle with the living. At Samhain, the Celts sacrificed animals and
wore costumes (most probably animal skins). They also wore masks or colored
their faces to confuse faeries, demons, and human spirits that were thought to
walk among them. As Christianity began to replace earlier religions, the
feast of All Saint’s was moved to November 1st, making the night
before All Hallows’ Eve, or Halloween. For An Earlier Post and More Halloween History, Click Here
This year, in observance of Halloween, let’s focus on writing
a poem in which we create an aura of suspense and mystery. To help with this,
let’s be specific and use ekphrasis to write about the image at the top—the
moon in the window—for inspiration. (Remember that ekphrasis is a literary
commentary on a visual work of art. That is, a poem or other piece of
literature based on a painting, statue, or other visual artwork. Read More About Ekphrastic Poetry By Clicking Here
For this prompt, take a look at the image at the top and think
about how you might “view” the photo in the context of a particular place and
time that was (or is) mysterious, suspenseful, or scary. How might you work personal experience (something that really happened to you) into a poem based
on this image? (If this image
doesn’t work for you, feel free to choose another that will!)
Things
To Think About:
1. What does the image suggest to you?
2. What’s mysterious about the image?
3. How does the image “speak to” autumn, Halloween, harvest
season, the moon, or colder weather?
4. For what might the moon in the window be a metaphor?
5. What images does the word apparition call to mind?
5. What images does the word apparition call to mind?
The
Writing:
1. Begin by free writing for about 10-15 minutes. Reflect on
the photo and just write whatever pops into your mind. But … whatever you do, DON’T write a description
of the photo.
2. After writing for a while, go back and read what you’ve
written. Is there anything there that suggests a topic, theme, narrative,
experience?
3. What written images did the photo generate? How might you
create a vivid scenic description for this poem? (Not a description of the
photo, but something in which to context the photo.)
4. Circle all the words and short phrases that suggest
something mysterious to you. Then, choose from the free write one subject or
idea that you think you may be able to develop in a poem and begin to work on
it.
5. You might write a narrative about what happened before
the photo was taken or what will happen next. But remember: a personal
narrative has be larger and more meaningful than something merely anecdotal.
6. You might write about being moonstruck.
7. You might write a poem about a face that appears in your
window, or the moon in your window mysteriously turning into a face.
8. Include some phrasal verbs—for example: dress up, watch
out, turn into, scare away, ward off.
9. Work on voice, tone, diction, and sound to enhance the
effect of your poem.
10. Come up with a chiller-thriller of a dismount!
Some Ideas:
1. How long had I stared at that window …
2. The window had become a prison …
3. Arms of the plant that bloomed in summer etch the window
…
4. A face in the window next to the moon …
5. I knew there was someone, or something, behind me as I looked up at the window ...
5. I knew there was someone, or something, behind me as I looked up at the window ...
Remember that a good poem should make the reader gasp at
least once while reading it. You can make that happen through striking imagery,
an unexpected twist, a surprise in content, and/or a punchy dismount. So, go
for it!
Examples:
Click on the
Titles to Read the Poems
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Mr. Macklin's Jack O'Lantern by David
McCord
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Hallowe'en Charm by Arthur
Guiterman
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The Haunted Palace by Edgar
Allan Poe
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Here’s to the witches,
Here’s to their cats,
Here’s to the poets
In Halloween hats;
Here’s to the ghosties,
In robes of white,
Here’s to your poems
For Halloween night!
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