A Rhyme for Halloween
By
Maurice Kilwein Guevara
Tonight I light the candles of my
eyes in the lee A
And swing down this branch full of
red leaves. A
Yellow moon, skull and spine of the
hare, B
Arrow me to town on the neck of the
air. B
I hear the undertaker make love in
the heather; C
The candy maker, poor fellow, is
under the weather. C
Skunk, moose, raccoon, they go to
the doors in threes D
With a torch in their hands or
pleas: "O, please . . ." D
Baruch Spinoza and the butcher are
drunk: E
One is the tail and one is the trunk
E
Of a beast who dances in circles for
beer F
And doesn't think twice to learn how
to steer. F
Our clock is blind, our clock is
dumb. G
Its hands are broken, its fingers
numb. G
No time for the martyr of our fair
town H
Who wasn't a witch because she could
drown. H
Now the dogs of the cemetery are
starting to bark I
At the vision of her, bobbing up
through the dark. I
When she opens her mouth to gasp for
air, B
A moth flies out and lands in her
hair. B
The apples are thumping, winter is
coming. J
The lips of the pumpkin soon will be
humming. J
By the caw of the crow on the first
of the year, K
Something will die, something
appear. K
Guevara, Maurice. “A Rhyme for
Halloween.” Poetry Foundation. Web. <http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/247394>.
With the holiday quickly
approaching, I thought Guevara’s “A Rhyme
for Halloween” was fitting. The poet incorporated several spooky elements
including witches, cemeteries, leaves, apples, pumpkins, “the undertaker,” and nocturnal
animals such as skunks and raccoons. The rhyme scheme (AABB CCDD EEFF GGHH IIBB
JJKK) almost gives the impression of a spell or chant, reminding the reader of
the festive subject and making them feel slightly disturbed (myself at least).
The author’s use of rhyme helps depict the creepy, yet familiar scene of Halloween
night by tying the different elements together. End rhyme seems to be the most common
throughout the piece, but internal rhyme can also be found in the second
stanza.
I like your connection to a chant or spell, I sort of picked up on that too. I didn't pick up on the internal rhyme in the second stanza however, and I think that was very clever of you to do so. I also really liked your choice of poem.
ReplyDeleteThe choice of poem is very fitting because of the time of year and actually enjoyed it. I agree with the rhyme seeming like a chant, almost like something kids would chant on Halloween or sing maybe. I didn't think of that on my own, so that was really smart of you.
ReplyDelete