Dionysian Halloween

In mid-knock the door opened; our fists rapped on air,
And in floated a face winter white in its glare.

"Welcome, my friends, come on in from the cold,
Come into this creaking, night-bumping abode.

Time is through sinking the sun's beaming light;

The days are all short after Halloween night.

"Come into this house, for it speaks to the wise
Of the wandering spirits who midnight will rise.

It knows things—it knows of the taboos forgot:

'Don't stir fire with iron or touch a white clock!'

"Come through this house deeper, through catacombs stride,

Of amontillado you'll drink," said he with a wink,

"And deep in the caves you'll see things that should hide.

Come down to the weird, into creeping dread sink,

Step farther on in," said he with a grin,

"Of that Underworld Wine won't you thirstily drink?"

So we followed this wry, pallor face atop robe
Into his lonely mere fire lit abode.

All around us a thousand thin flitting flames floated

Through faces of pumpkins in luster-light coated.

And down stairwells we went, as our minister guided,
With a torch in his hand he less strode and more glided,

As we descended down surely more deep than the sea;

Deeper than ever a human should be.

Then into the catacomb corridors we went,
Through mazes of walking ways twisted and bent,

And greener, and thicker grew moss on the walls

As we crept along softly through slime-slickened halls.

We ducked into a cave, and still deeper did go,
Then I shuddered with fear when the torch flickered low.

But our guide saw my terror about our enclosing,

About his small torch flame whose life began dosing.

"Push on just a little," with a maddening giggle,

He said through a smile that could never beguile,

"And soon there'll be light from a blaze in the deep;

Where we go there's fire that growling things keep!"

The cavern grew then ever wider and long,
As my eyes did perceive something weird like a throng,

A throng full of cries from where Wilderness lies;

Howling Rage all around from where backs never rise.

Now this cavern it must have been miles around,
Though enclosed not even a wall could be found,

Even under me there was no solid stone floor,

But only soil into which forest roots bore.

We ourselves became nothing but wild, and unsound;

I myself became naught but a beast at my core.

In my brain a deep drum clapped a thunderous pound;

In my heart there was naught but a terrible roar!

A wildfire there burnt all in furious flare;

The cries on all sides in a passionate gust,

Swept out of our souls all ideas of reason,

And into the woods we did flail with a thrust.

The blaze turned to ash any part of me human,

Till we flew through the woods in a ravenous lust!

Then we went fully mad, feeling crazed and all raw
As we beat on our breasts and grew fangs and sharp claws.

Then we drank living blood of an innocent beast,

Eating flesh by the fire in a ravaging feast!

All around they came out, born from shades and from shadows:
A thousand gaunt ghouls at midnight on All Hallows

Did swing in a merciless, mindless mean dance,

Letting everything in the whole world go to chance!

Till this dizzying power of enthusiasm

Created a whirlwind that carried us high.

Passing unconscious we limply all drifted

And slept through cool winds in serenest of skies.

I awoke on the morrow, a live sunny day.

In a memory musing I thought upon "me,"

That I wasn't the same as these creatures I see;

Yes I found in my fancy, in the sun where I lay,

I was never a human from wilderness free.

[1992?]