Through The Door

Under dusk's light
Everything burns
Stained a reddish hue
The air crisp,
Like an apples first bite

Are those whispers?
Perhaps not.
Crackling of the fire
Hissing of the wood
Just keeping the hearth warm
As it should

But, a shriek?
No, no.
Must be the kettle letting its steam.
Mother has on evening tea.

O child, O child
Find ye way home
O child,
Through the door
The autumn meadows --

STOP.
I will not go.
I have chores
Bread to make
But this feeling
One I cannot shake

O child, O child
Find ye way home
O child
Through the door
The autumn meadows
A sight to explore

With an owl's cry
To our cottage I turn
My feet move,
Like a heart that yearns

O child,
Beyond the orchard
With whispering leaves
A cobbled path which,
The Black Cat leads

Just a few steps more
I am at the door

O child,
Welcome home!
Witches cackle
Ghosts ramble
Skeletons shake for a musical gig

My eyes deceive?
What a place I see!
Goblins and ghouls
Witches with caramel apples
Swirls of maple leaves
Lightning bugs in the eaves
A place I know
But have not seen

O child,
you have seen
In your dreams
On a summer's eve
Always waiting
For the nights
That come before Halloween
A place with magic
Before the frost turns
You find yourself in a town
One called October