A little something I scribbled down for Halloween. Stay safe kids!

The Candyman

Many years ago, one Halloween
 A man laughed with his son.
 His spirit was high, his mind adrift,
 Unaware that tonight, he’d be done.
  
 From house to house they ventured,
 Arms all laden with sweets.
 A fun evening spent together,
 Through the journey of trick or treats.
  
 The night took a tragic turn,
 As soon as they came home.
 Counting their treasures on the floor,
 Death had started to roam.
  
 He took his eyes off the boy,
 Turning away for a second.
 A cat perched on the windowsill,
 It’s narrow eyes beckoned. 
  
 The boy had, it would seem
 Choked on a boiled sweet.
 Not the intended outcome
 From a game of trick or treat.
  
 The man could only watch,
 Frozen in helpless terror.
 His mind a haze of shock,
 This would be his error.
  
 “My son, my son!’
 He cried, shaking the little boy.
 The younger, made no sound.
 Grew limp, like a rag toy.
  
 Scooping up his little boy,
 He laid him on his knee.
 Staring up at him blankly,
 Those eyes could no longer see.
  
 They buried him a week later,
 In the cold, wet ground.
 The man stood trembling,
 Too angry, to make a sound.
  
 For days and nights that followed,
 He locked himself away.
 Some speculated, others guessed,
 All he wanted was to pray.
  
 The grief chewed his mind,
 Gnawing at his soul.
 Until he could feel no more,
 Just a bleak, empty hole.
  
 Months turned to years,
 And still he never emerged.
 People whispered near and far,
 ‘His grief has not yet purged!’
  
 But one night a year, it is said,
 That the man does wander.
 The streets alone, on Halloween,
 Now, we’re left to ponder.
  
 Stalking your children as they walk,
 The streets, during Halloween.
 Take your eyes off them once,
 You’ll be the ones to scream.
  
 They call him The Candyman,
 Lurking in the dark.
 Spot him once, spy him twice,
 “By the woods, near the park!”
  
 Then he’ll appear at your window,
 His eyes blacker than the sky.
 You watch him for a moment.
 Unsure who’s next to die.
  
 Which child will you protect,
 From the man who will not stop?
 The older, or the younger?
 Or maybe, he’ll take the crop.
  
 This Halloween, is another night,
 Watch your children with great care.
 For The Candyman is haunting us,
 And tonight. He’s out there.
   

By Christina Alagaratnam