October DMC Wrap-Up Celebration

Edward Peters

Welcome, my pretties, to our monster menagerie!

Don't be afraid, little ones—

smussyolay

float right in

and make yourself at home.

Cross Duck

Pay no mind to the welcoming committee...

SurFeRGiRL30

Or this welcoming committee...

rafeejewell

Or this welcoming committee...

Dilvsy

Or to the dog...

Bill Dickinson

Or the goldfish....

nikoretro

Let's just get down to business, shall we?

At the beginning of this month, Rebecca Herzog challenged us to write poems about monster fears:

"Most everyone is afraid of monsters. But what are monsters most afraid of?"

Anita Hart

Apparently monsters don't get asked to divulge their insecurities very often. They've been coming out of the woodwork to take part in ditty therapy.

I'm pleased to report that, for the time being, they have been patient and well-behaved, awaiting your poetry perusal. No saying what might happen come Halloween night though!


Scroll through the poems below or CLICK HERE to open a new tab.

Many thanks to all the glorious and beastly imaginations who contributed to our monster menagerie, and to the creature keeper, Becky Herzog, for opening the cage.

Wait... that's it?! It's over???? 

Jody Sticca

But it's only October 25th and I haven't written my poem yet!

No need to panic. You have until Thursday, October 31st, to add your poem about a monster fear. Your poem may even be featured as a daily ditty next week leading up to Halloween!

Visit Becky's spotlight interview for instructions and then click on the pink dot with the plus sign to add your poem to the padlet. Actually, I'll be leaving this padlet open indefinitely, so you can even leave a poem after Halloween. But like I said, there's no telling about the monsters. In my experience, they only stay well-behaved for so long.

Stay tuned for a new reader spotlight next Friday, November 1st.

Karen Edmisten has her own seasonal tribute this week—join her for the Poetry Friday roundup.

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.       

It's Friday the 13th at Limerick Alley

www.trevorpearson.com

It seems like just yesterday Bridget lost a digit in Limerick Alley, and now here comes more bad news.  Sorry about this folks, but when Friday the 13th meets Poetry Friday, I am left with no choice.  My inner child turns into a little freak that runs through the house with scissors.

 

                        With love, from Sinclaire

                        Sinclaire lived a life of extremes—

                        this nightmarish girl of my dreams.

                        She swore without doubt,

                        “love you inside and out,”

                        as she ripped me apart at the seams.

                        © 2013 Michelle Heidenrich Barnes.  All rights reserved.

Secret confession here:  I really don't like horror all that much.  I've never picked up a Stephen King novel in my life, and I'm a complete wuss when it comes to scary movies.  And yet, as a children's writer, I enjoy the shock factor of writing in this genre occasionally.  So what's with that? 

If you, too, share a fascination for children's horror, you should check out Underneath the Juniper Tree.  This free online magazine is the love child of Bree Ogden (Managing Editor) and Rebekah Joy Plett (Art Director), and specializes in supporting new artists and writers in children's horror.  They "aim to promote the most creatively fantastical and darkly neurotic literature that has been much loved over the centuries and will be loved for centuries to come."  I am pleased as frothy punch that Return to Sender will be included in Underneath the Juniper Tree's forthcoming Halloween issue.

www.skreened.com

For more dangerous fun, check out Teach Mentor Texts, where Jen is collecting specimens for today's Poetry Friday roundup.  Mwah-hah-hah!

Channeling Tim Burton...?

Return to Sender

A box marked, “Return me to Sender”

Arrived at the fireworks vendor.

Inside was a digit

Belonging to Bridget

With bills from the doctors to mend her.

© 2013 Michelle Heidenrich Barnes.  All rights reserved.

Hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th of July!

Do you have a limerick you would like to share in Limerick Alley?  Please contact me at michelle (at) MichelleHBarnes (dot) com, or by commenting below.  It will be my pleasure to feature you and your blog in a future post!

While some of us were soggy from yesterday's rain, Tabatha from The Opposite of Indifference was soggy from heat!  Here is her own rendition of yesterday's events, which I've decided to post here so that my limerick won't feel lonely.  (Thanks for joining in the limericky fun, Tabatha!)

          At Mount Vernon on the Fourth of July,
          we waited for lights in the sky--
          they took place at one
          in the heat of the sun,
          so no one watching was at all dry!

By golly, we've got a party here!  Mary Lee from A Year of Reading has joined in with her electrifying Independence Day limerick as well.  (Thanks, Mary Lee!)

          In my town on the Fourth of July,
          Lightning zig-zagged 'cross the sky.
          The crowd ooh-ed and ah-ed
          at the fireworks from God.
          KABOOM went his thunderous reply.

For more literary fireworks, head on over to Keri Recommends where Keri has today's Poetry Friday roundup.