Submitted by Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger
My daughter always got so excited decorating our house for Halloween when she was young. She loved spooky stories and movies…and Halloween as much as she loved Christmas. When I was teaching elementary school, I really enjoyed reading scary stories to my students as well as sharing and writing Halloween poems with them. Since Halloween is just a few days away, I thought I’d post one of my original witch poems and a collaborative class poem written by my second grade students a few years before I left the classroom.
THERE WAS A WITCH
There was a witch who liked to race
Her supersonic broom through space.
At six o’clock last Friday night
She blasted off at speed of light.
She whizzed past Mercury and Mars…
Then headed off toward distant stars.
Across the galaxy she sped,
A black peaked helmet on her head.
An interstellar traveler, she
Explored the Milky Way with glee.
She chased swift comets here and there.
She watched bright supernovae flare.
She zipped through clouds of cosmic dust…
A witch bewitched by wanderlust.
There was a witch, I’m sad to say,
Flew near a big black hole one day.
It sucked her in just like a bean.
You won’t see HER on Halloween!
© Elaine Magliaro
Things to Do If You Are a Witch
By the students of Mrs. Magliaro’s Class (circa 1990’s)
Wake up at midnight.
Fly around the moon
on your magic broom.
Zoom around a haunted house.
Swoop out of the dark sky
and scare children.
Have a huge purple wart
on the tip of your long, pointy nose
and skin as green as grass.
Wear a tall black hat
pointed as a thumbtack.
Make yucky snake skin potions
in your kettle.
Cast nasty spells on princes
and turn them into toads.
Eat vulture leg stew, bat wings,
and frog eyes for lunch.
Throw bat noses into the air
and catch them in your mouth.
Go to sleep in a graveyard
before the sun comes up.
**********
Daphne’s New Broom
So, which way did that witch go…?
I used to work with a guy who once told that he didn’t allow his kids to celebrate Halloween in any form or fashion because he thought it was all devil worship. Of course, when I asked him if he had been noticing an increase in the population of black squirrels around his neighborhood, he said, yes, it was the work of Satan.
Thanks for sharing them Elaine. They’re terrific..
I love your poetry, Elaine. My eldest grandson will be 5 on October 31st. Although he’ll probably ask me what a black hole is (I’ll refer him to Gene), I know he’ll get a kick out of the poem.
Thank you Elaine….
Elaine, Love the poems and the cartoon. Kind of scary what kids think.
I like witches riding brooms and you even have a round witch to which I can better relate. Most pictures have them really skinny. But I wouldn’t want their idea of the witch’s diet.
Right now my 5 year old grandchild and I are reading Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson.
The Widow’s Broom is a couple years down the road and my other grandkids’ favorite.
On Tuesday I’ll print out THERE WAS A WITCH and have her do her own illustrations as she’s very interested in the stars, planet etc. It’ll be a fun day.
Elaine M,
You are one trippy chick!
The poems and spooky stuff stimulate my amygdala.
Swartmoremom,
I loved the illustrations in that book. One of my college students borrowed it from me and never returned it. I’m going to have to get another copy of the book for my granddaughter.
RWL,
Each school district has its own rules. Halloween costumes were not disallowed in my school system. I have heard of places, though, where public schools don’t allow any Halloween celebrations or books about witches, magic, etc., in classroms or school libraries because of pressure from some religious groups/parents.
RWL, In the name of PC there are virtually no Holidays or fun in schools anymore.
I’ve heard that most public schools have disallowed halloween costumes in the building?
Elaine, Your post made me think of the ‘Widow’s Broom” which I just packed.
Great stuff Elaine! I just got back in from mowing my lawn and I got a big kick out of you poems and the cartoon. Halloween is one of may favorite holidays!
We would have a party in our garage every year even before we had kids. Shots and beers for the parents to warm up, cider or hot chocolate for the kids. We had hot dogs, bobbing for apples, best costume prizes. All the neighborhood kids would come after they were done. I remembered it was so anticlimactic when you were done. I loved hearing kids talk about who gave out big candy bars, who were cheapskates, etc. We would go through 200 hot dogs every Halloween. Then I turned into a mean, greedy, liar when I came here. I’ll probably throw rotten apples @ kids this year.
Halloween was as a kid, and as an adult, a great Holiday. As a kid I hated Thanksgiving[all kids do] but love it now. Some things change, some don’t. I’m still trying to understand how I did a 180 when I got here?
Els DL,
My daughter still loves Halloween–and decorates her house. She and my son-in-law had a pumpkin carving contest with my daughter’s in-laws last night. My husband and I were the judges.
As a first grade and Kindergarten teacher I can appreciate your posting. I like the idea of students writing a list of things they believe witches can do and then help them turn the list into a poem. I won’t be teaching on Halloween day and to tell you the truth I’m not going to miss being there. I don’t know if there is a word for not liking Halloween as there is ‘humbug’ for Christmas, except for ‘grumpy’ or ‘party pooper’ but frankly call me whatever. I guess I’d start liking Halloween again if my daughter had a child. I’m sure I’d go right back to making costumes as I used to. Cheers!