Friday, October 25, 2013

Halloween Countdown: Day 1


Limerick Alley, after dark

Lucky, the Halloween shamrock



Halloween has come to Limerick Alley...  

bigtime



Ooh, I hope it's not TOO scary!



In the spirit of the Halloween horror franchise and its bountiful series of slasher movies, I thought it would be fun to release a stream of limericks to count down the remaining days until Halloween.  Sooooo...


For the next week, I will be releasing one stanza each day of my seven stanza poem titled Insomnia.

Be sure to return to this post daily to see how the story unfolds!


        INSOMNIA

       It’s 3 a.m., why aren’t I sleeping?
       Odd hours I seem to be keeping.
       My eyes are not closing,
       my mind is composing,
       and limericks, silently creeping…

       Was that just the wind I heard moan?
       Making these walls creak and groan?
       I can't comprehend
       why my hair stands on end,
       till I notice I'm not here alone.

       My eyesight, unfocused and bleary;
       the silence, electric and eerie;
       a whisper, my name,
       "Who's there?!" I exclaim.
       "Just me," she says, "no worries, Dearie."

       From shadows, a hideous sight
       ignites my spontaneous fright:
       a foul surprise
       with sunken white eyes,
       and skin mostly rotted with blight!

       "I once was a dancer, you know.
       Tonight, it's my Halloween show..."
       Her head, it unhinges
       and out jump, like ninjas,
       huge crickets that breed in her toe. 

       I feel the sweat bead on my brow.
       The crickets are everywhere now!
       My heart skips a beat
       but I'm stuck to my seat,
       and I think that I'm having a cow. 

       I'm shaking like autumn's last leaf,
       just hoping the pain will be brief.
       A BLOODCURDLING SCREAM
       wakes me up from my dream...
       and I breathe a deep sigh of relief. 

       © 2013 Michelle Heidenrich Barnes. All rights reserved.       





30 comments:

  1. You got me. I'm hooked. I'll need all seven of these.

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  2. Okay, I'll be around, Michelle! Love your tantalizing limerick, and Lucky, that scary Halloween shamrock-O-o-o-o!

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  3. Michelle, I love this! I look forward to watching this unfold... what a great idea!

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    Replies
    1. I think the anticipation is just as much fun for me as it is for you!

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  4. Splendid idea. I'm hooked, even though I'm already a little scared . . . :)

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    1. Just make sure you're holding Cornelius' hand when you read my updates. :)

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  5. Neat idea, Michelle! I guess if you're going to have insomnia, there are worse things that could happen than having limericks controlling your brain. Could be ballads instead. :) Love it!

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  6. Fun idea -- looking forward to seeing how it plays out. No matter how fine the inspiration may be, at 3 a.m. I'd rather be sleeping. ;-) Love the photos -- though Lucky gives me the creeps!

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  7. I don't know why limericks seem so hard for me to write - but you make it look easy! Seven?? Looking forward to seeing the rest.

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    1. Thanks, Matt, that's nice of you to say. But don't sell yourself short. I'm quite certain you can come up with a killer limerick if you put your mind to it!

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  8. Hi there Michelle, 3 am - witching hour!!!! We have just recently watched The Conjuring - and 3 am is definitely the sound of ghosts creeping! Love the cliffhanger there! :) Looking forward to reading the rest of the poem!

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  9. I love this use of the form. Looking forward to more!

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    1. Thanks Liz... it's fun from my end too. Three more days comin' atcha!

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  10. Replies
    1. Thank Judi-- it's definitely keeping me on my toes. (With no crickets to get in the way, thankfully.)

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  11. CRICKETS out of her HEAD?! Hinges and ninjas is *inspired* my friend. Love it! Happy Halloween!

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    1. Thanks so much, Keri. :) You do know how to make me smile. Happy Halloween to you too!

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  12. Replies
    1. Thanks, Randy. I see you write limericks for children too. If you see this comment, drop me a line at michelle (at) MichelleHBarnes (dot) com.

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