Solemn Company: The Countdown to Halloween (Day 4)

Been a busy day here at The Goods, so let's have a quick post tonight.  A poem by the impossible to research Molly Capes (great name for a superhero tailor) from the excellent volume of short Halloween tales I told you about  entitled GHOSTS AND GOBLINS by Wilhelmina Harper.

HALLOWEEN

by Molly Capes

Bolt and bar the front door,

Draw the curtains tight,

Wise folk are in before

Moonrise tonight.

Halloween, Halloween,

Chestnuts to roast,

A gift for the fairy,

A prayer for the ghost.

Who will have their fate told

This night is known,

Whose hand is full of gold,

Who goes alone.

Halloween, Halloween,

Snapdragon blue,

A lover for me

And a fortune for you.

Stars shiver blue and green,

Moon’s wide and white;

There tattered clouds between

Witches take flight.

Halloween, Halloween,

Apples a-bob,

Elves at the keyhole 

And imps on the hob.

“Twelve” calls the deep bell

To the hollow night;

“Twelve” whisper steeple tops

Far out of sight.

Halloween, Halloween,

Fires burn high,

Who shall say certainly,

Who can tell truthfully

What solemn company

Pass through the sky?

Freaky Fact:

When snapdragons die, they look like skulls or screaming demon faces--check it out...

Snapdragon Skulls

I suppose that does it for tonight, kiddies...

and so I leave you with this image to get you through the day...

Ghosts and Goblins: THE COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN (Day 1)

The Countdown begins now…

Here’s a brief reminder of what the “Countdown to Halloween” is all about:  Every year a group of bloggers ban together and agree to post blogs about the coming holiday all throughout the month of October for the purpose of celebrating the season.  One can follow all of the participants through the link below:

COUNTDOWN TO HALLOWEEN

One can find such treasures in another’s trash.  As is usually the case, I find, with library book sales and friends of library book sales.  This year the treasure is an old children’s anthology entitled GHOSTS AND GOBLINS compiled by Wilhelmina Harper.

Now, my copy isn’t as attractive as these pictures of it in it’s real glory.  Mine has been rebound in one of those typical hardbacks that libraries provide to keep the true innards around for a few more years.  And they were successful… it lived in that library for half a century.

And, speaking of libraries… Miss Harper was born in Maine and worked in libraries in France and New York City before moving to California where she reorganized the Redwood City Public Library where she was librarian for many years.  She’s taught courses in children’s literature and in library work.  Miss Harper has compiled the companion volumes to Ghosts and Goblins entitled Easter Chimes, The Harvest Feast and Merry Christmas to You.  What Wilhelmina Harper is probably most recognized for, however, is her retelling of  The Gunniwolf.

One of the poems added when she revised this book was a fun little ditty by the late great Mr. Sandburg…

Theme in Yellow

by Carl Sandburg

I spot the hills

With yellow balls in autumn.

I light the prairie cornfields

Orange and tawny gold clusters

And I am called pumpkins.

On the last of October

When dusk is fallen

Children join hands

And circle round me

Singing ghost songs

And love to the harvest moon;

I am a jack-o’-lantern

With terrible teeth

And the children know

I am fooling.

This month I have a few ideas of things to feature, but I’ll give you a more complete accounting of these plans tomorrow.  It’s more of a last minute thing for me this year, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t the material to entertain for 31 days, however!

Oh, don’t you worry—I’ve got the goods!

This is...

THE GOODS.