Hallowe'En

The ghosts of all things past parade,
Emerging from the mist and shade
That hid them from our gaze,
And, full of song and ringing mirth,
In one glad moment of rebirth,
And again they walk the ways of earth
As in the ancient days.

The beacon light shines on the hill,
The will-o'-wisps the forests fill
With flashes filched from noon;
And witches on their broomsticks spry
Speed here and yonder in the sky,
And lift their strident voices high
Unto the Hunter's Moon.

The air resounds with tuneful notes
From myriads of straining throats,
All hailing Folly Queen;
So join the swelling choral throng,
Forget your sorrow and your wrong,
In one glad hour of joyous song
To honor Hallowe'en! 

John Kendrick Bangs

Forever After...

A HALLOWE'EN WISH

May all the bats and ghosts and frights
Bring jolly fun and laughter
And fill your day with such delights
You'll smile forever after!

Here's an incredible vision - of another pumpkin-headed spirit at the fence (see also Beware! The Gatekeeper). This is a vintage Hallowe'en card posted by Alan Mays on Flickr (originally posted on Ipernity: A Halloween Wish). Would love to know more details on this item which is stated as being a single-sided greeting card from the 1920's-1930's. Will this smiling spook be as friendly once it climbs to the other side of the fence? 

Check out the meticulous details of this illustration. The landscape above the fence reminds me of Seattle where you see 1930s brick tudor style architecture in neighborhoods of extremely tall Douglas Firs silhouetted in the skyline. The fence alone has me stunned, with the glowing highlights at top, the visible knots and nail-heads, and orange light seeping into blue shadows along the bottom edge.

Do you know any more about this image? The manufacturer? Or the artist? It makes me think of works by George Carlson for John Martin's Book, or Hazel Frazee for Child Life Magazine.

Happy New Year!

I'm happy to have my voice back after being sick this past week! I am now able to read a little holiday poetry to you guys. I also received a new microphone for Christmas, so this will be my first time trying it out.

Chris was nice enough to send me a poem to read for Christmas. I was too sick to read it then so I saved it for this New Year's post. I think his poem still fits the holiday theme, and since there's a ghost involved, it fits with my blog year-round. I'm going to post both Chris' poem and the poem I found so you can read them along with me.

Cindy Turner's Post-Mortem Christmas Tradition
by Chris Hewson

Cindy Turner was a waifish young woman torn from the world too soon,

She loved all things festive, Christmas too, and often did she croon,

When Pneumonia took her life, her spirit somehow remained,

And every Christmas, she'd dance in the abandoned house full of candy canes,

Her home was grand and Victorian, classic and modern, with decorative vines,

And once her ethereal decorations were all over, the dwelling did shine,

Cindy's beautiful voice rang through the halls, and lasted for hours,
And made sure the empty abode was never dour,

Despite her circumstances, her happiness was untouched by death's head, 

The inhabitants of the house could have found joy in the ghostly celebrations had they not fled, 

Cindy was annoyed that her ghostly presence drove them away,

But she liked to spend time alone anyway...

 

I also searched for some Victorian New Year's poems to read. Wow, were those depressing for the most part! They were mostly dwelling on the death of the old year, and in great detail. I did find one poem that was hopeful and inspiring, but it was written a little after the Victorian era. Ella Wheeler Wilcox wrote this in 1909. She's worth reading about, especially for those interested in Spiritualism, The New Thought Movement, and optimism in general. She sounds like she was a positive person, judging by many of her ideas and poetry. The poem of hers I chose may be over a century old, but the message still holds true.

The poem reads as a conversation and reminds me a bit of "The Raven" in the beginning. At least there's something better at the door here!

New Year: A Dialogue
by Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1909)

Mortal:

"The night is cold, the hour is late, the world is  bleak and drear; Who is it knocking at my door?"

The New Year:

"I am Good Cheer." 

Mortal:

"Your voice is strange; I know you not; in shadows dark I grope. What seek you here?" 

The New Year: 

"Friend, let me in; my name is Hope." 

Mortal: 

"And mine is Failure; you but mock the life you seek to bless. Pass on." 

The New Year: 

"Nay, open wide the door; I am Success." 

Mortal: 

"But I am ill and spent with pain; too late has come your wealth. I cannot use it." 

The New Year: 

"Listen, friend; I am Good Health." 

Mortal: 

"Now, wide I fling my door. Come in, and your fair statements prove."

The New Year: 

"But you must open, too, your heart, for I am Love."

Isn't that hopeful? My interpretation of the poem is that you can have all the good things in the world waiting for you, but you have to be open to them for anything to happen. I hope you all have these offerings at your door in 2015 and let them in!  

...and now I will read these poems to you:

It's worth listening to the entire album if you can find it. I actually found it at our local library.

I recorded another Halloween reading for this year. This time I'll be reading you a poem titled The Vampire. It was written by Conrad Aiken. This poem is a little dark, so I thought it would be a perfect fit with my nocturnal photos! As usual, the video is going to stay black while I read.