I have never been Trick or Treating (is it a verb??) in my life even though the past couple of Halloweens I have been living in the US. In 2012, Halloween fell just post Hurricane Sandy while I was living with a friend in Brooklyn and I was disappointed that my first (Park Slope) Halloween party was cancelled. Last year I was lodging in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, and did go out in the rain with my umbrella to catch some of the kids at work!
But, onto the focus of this post. Author Susanna Hill’s 4th Halloweensie Contest rules are as follows: write a 100 word or less (mine weighs in at 82) Halloween story appropriate for children, using the words pumpkin, broomstick, and creak. You can find all the other entries here.
Trick or treaters on the porch – photo credit Katie Robinson at Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo
Devious Dads and Halloween
Pumpkin creations
Under the stars,
Mama carves goblins,
Papa carves cars.
Kids from our condo,
Itching for treats,
Navigate hallways
Bound for the streets.
Roger plays Batdude.
Orville’s a ghost.
Omar rocks Elvis,
Milly is toast.
Sam’s owl is skittish,
Tim acts the clown.
Ike rides a broomstick,
Cruising our town.
Kids in cool costumes
Creep through the night,
Rack up the candy,
Eat just a bite.
After, in jammies,
Kids hide the rest,
Eager to keep
Dads far from the best!
©JoannaMarple2014
In my 20's, with only my guitar and a rucksack, I wandered the continents, immersing myself in the lives of some wonderful people, projects and stories, which changed the way I view my responsibility to others and this earth. Right now I'm a European transplant in the US who writes books for children and young adults. Stories can help us not only navigate our world but can connect us to others, and allow us to inspire and help each other. I believe that equity and empathy should be at the core of our all actions, words, and stories.
I am also a school librarian and I get a kick out of book-matchmaking! And I use the pronouns she/her.
Wow!! Joanna, this is AWESOME!!! I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed your acrostic poem that used the key words. Bravo and I hope you’ll get to have or go to a fun Halloween party this year!
Thank you, Teresa, looks like Marcie might be taking me to have some fun on Friday!
Brilliant acrostic!
And Milly Milquetoast just has to become a book character!
Well done Joanna!
Cathy, you know I think I might just do that!
This is soooooooooooooooo good it’s scary! The acrostic and the rhyming! Then the formatting perfection! It has it all 🙂
Wonderful job, Joanna. I just love it!!!
Aw, thanks for all the poem love, Penny!
I love the urban take on Halloween! Very clever and fun.
Thanks, Wendy, for spotting the urban emphasis!
First, yes, it’s a verb (too funny!) and second…what a clever poem! Love it and hope you win!
Thanks for clarifying the verb. 😉
Wonderful poem! Good Luck.
Thank you, Diane!
Wow Joanna that is one funky monkey entry! So unique with loads of rhythm.
All the other amazing entries got me into the groove, Catherine!
Wow! And you managed to rhyme it too. Gaah! I love that you used condo, and hid the treats from dads (the plain truth in our house, no matter the occasion!). AND it shows diversity! Yikes!
I would love to have been able to ask you to illustrate this!
Great poem, Joanna! Good luck in the contest!
Thank you, Patricia!
For never trick or treating, you really get the gist of it! Though I can tell you moms also steal candy. “Oh, a Mr. Goodbar? OH, honey, you won’t like that. Here let me get that out of your way…”
Great poem Joanna!
If ‘creaked’ would have ended in ‘m’ I sure would have put moms!!
Super duper silly and brilliantly smart entry, Joanna! Excellent. :0)
Thankee!
Very cleverly done and fun to read.
Cheers, Johnell, it was fun to create within the limitations I gave myself.
Joanna! This is wonderful! how clever to not only use the words, but use the words! 🙂 For someone who hasn’t done a lot of Halloween, you have certainly captured the spirit! And A+ for creativity! Thanks so much for joining in the Halloweensie fun!
Thanks, Susanna. I actually loved the challenge of creating a story arc in 100 words or less.
Well even though you’ve never been trick or treating, you’ve got it down pat. Love the flow. Great job!
Thanks, Linda.
Let me add my “Good Job!” on this perfectly formatted acrostic story. Loved it!
Thanks for the enthusiasm.Jen.
Love that you used the words as acrostics–very clever!
Thanks, Buffy, doing it this way was a fun challenge.
How awesome. I love it – perfectly captures the fun of Halloween!
Cheers, Sylvia.
Joanna, your idea is genius. Your poem is lively and entertaining. The rhythm is so much fun to read aloud. FANTASTIC!
Thanks. Robyn, I was aiming for a good read-aloud.
Oh so clever! Hiding the candy so resonates.
It was friends that clued me in on hiding the candy, Kella!
This is brilliant. I can tell you worked on this. It really stands out as the most unique entry. Loved it. I knew you would do something so entertaining for kids..
Thanks, Pat, it did indeed go through some revisions!
Joanna, this is fantastic! What a creative use of the keywords! And even without that, I love the imagery in your poem. You captured the Halloween experience perfectly. Well done!
Carrie, thanks for your encouraging words. It was fun to write.
Having lived in NYC, I think you captured Urban Trick or Treating perfectly. And yes, in my house we all hide the candy from dad!
I love hearing all these Halloweensie candy-hiding traditions!
Excellent! Acrostics are such a challenge.
Thank you for the encouraging comment for my first-graders. We had so much fun writing our story.
Susanne, in my time I have been a K-12 librarian and elementary teacher, I know how wonderful an experience that must have been for your class. Thank you for taking the initiative!
Ooooh! (That’s what I said to myself when I saw your poem/story’s format.) I knew I was in for a treat! This is so creative and well done. LOVE it.
Susan, I am so glad you enjoyed the acrostic format.
Very clever and fun Joanna! I love the use of condo too! (And the rhyme!)
How imaginative! Good story.
I love the way you incorporated the required words. Good luck! 🙂
Fantastically unique! Great job! 🙂
Oh my, Pat took the words right out of my mouth. You are so creative. Cleverly done, a winner in my book!