The heaven’s now a pitch-black cauldron overturned
With dying stars caught in its deep and widespread mouth;
Miasmic clots of clouds into strange shapes have turned,
Like tumors festering rapidly from north to south.
The naked, shivering branches curl into a snare
To hide from cold winds’ lashes, and the haunting sounds
Of croaking frogs grow louder in the wailing air;
The earth in pools of red leaves shed and shadows drowns.
There, smiling children dressed as monsters run about,
Oblivious to the real ones lurking on their streets,
Which, freed from nether chains upon this night, are out
To sate their roiling hunger with a laid-out feast.
Outside my latest host’s door, cries of “Trick or Treat”
Stream in and once more rouse my craving for fresh meat.
(Originally published in The Sirens Call #59, Sirens Call Publications. Link: http://www.sirenscallpublications.com/pdfs/SirensCallEZine_Halloween2022.pdf)
Ngo Binh Anh Khoa is a teacher of English in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. In his free time, he enjoys reading fiction and writing speculative poetry. His poems have appeared in Weirdbook, Star*Line, Spectral Realms, and other venues. He also writes haiku, many of which have received honorable mentions and awards in various contests in the US, the UK, Japan, Canada, and elsewhere.
Published 10/31/23
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