Halloween 1903 - Bowman

Halloween
By Rowland C. Bowman (1870-1903)

This is the night when buzzards buzz,
And the cuckoo coos—if he ever does—
And the lizzards lie round and liz,
And the bobolinks bob, if they’re on to their “biz,”
And the night is literally soused in ink,
As you silently wait and watch and think,
And blink and wink.

Now take the cud
Of a brindle cow, and wade in the mud
‘Way out in the marsh, and dig a hole
With the shoulder blade of some poor soul
That died a leper in Lim-Po-King.
You bury the cud at half-past two,
Lie flat on your back and take a chew
Of garlic and glycerin and cloves;
And close your eyes and wiggle your toes,
And wish and wish till you’re nearly dead.
Then you wade back home and you crawl into bed,

And you wink and blink and you think some more,
Of the leper who died on the far-off shore.
You taste the garlic and see the cud,
And fall asleep a-wading in the mud,—
And—your—wishes—will—all—come—true!

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From Freckles and Tan, 1900