I Dare You! – A Halloween Night Challenge

The witching hour soon at hand

A blanket of darkness across the land

Fullest moon behind the clouds

Heavy fog like a funeral shroud

The eerie feel of, “not quite right”

Close to twelve on Halloween night

Trick or Treaters, all home in bed

Bolted doors keep out the dead

Crackling leaves on winds so wild

Cemeteries with their graves defiled

The rotting stench that fills the air

Warning the living to say their prayers

As zombies and ghouls shake and shiver

Prowling spooks creep and whisper

Witches fires and cauldrons do bubble

All sorts of things to cause some trouble

Vampires above and wolves below

Treetops filled with carrion crow

Portals opened to the infernal regions

The underworld releases the legion

Demons conjuring the fires of hell

Lunatics break free from a prison cell

Things that shriek, and bark, and howl

Echoed warning from the great horned owl

The time is now, to stay inside

A sanctuary where you can hide

As humankind has no role tonight

Stay safely tucked and out of sight

Not a peek, nor a look should you dare to take

Keep watch on your door; until daybreak

Gather your crosses and words that are holy

Recite them to avoid things rotten or boney

On your knees you will pray for sacred protection

Summoning the angels to avoid their detection

You’ll barter and bargain to your goddess or god

To avoid being murdered, or maimed, or clawed

Yet despite any words or religious incantations

You’ll stay awake in fear, shook to your foundations

As the veil is quite thin on this Halloween night

Most living creatures must endure their own fright

For what’s out there, who knows, who can say

I’m not going out until the brightness of day

But if you’re the type that calls yourself brave

Go right ahead, go misbehave

Enter the woods, go stand by the graves

Challenge the darkness; be one of the knaves

Turn down your collar, take off your coat

Challenge the vampires by showing your throat

Make lots of noise to gather attention

Maybe drop all your warding and hope for possession

Blaspheme and curse and shout at the devil

Yes, by all means, be the one to menace and meddle

Far braver souls than you have taken the stance

What’s there to lose….your soul perchance?

• Author
• Recent Posts

R J Schwartz

I write about everything and sometimes nothing at all.I'm fascinated by old things, rusty things, abandoned places, or anywhere that a secret might be unearthed.I'm passionate about history and many of my pieces are anchored in one concept of time or another.I've always been a writer, dating back to my youth, but the last decade has been a time of growth for me.I'm continually pushing the limitations of vocabulary, syntax, and descriptive phrasing.

Latest posts by R J Schwartz (see all)

• When We Lost Control - October 13, 2025
• The Crumbling Space Around Me - October 10, 2025
• Sorrow - October 9, 2025