An Ode to Halloween

^{Student Poems, with Commentary by Staff Writer, Madiann Linford}

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A Witch’s Demise

When the opportunity for Halloween poetry to be published in Saint Martin’s The Belltower, this poem was the first thing that came to my mind. Usually, when I write poetry, I use the world around me as inspiration. I like to take my journal with me to coffee shops and parks; I describe what the people around me are doing. I use the conversations and mannerisms I witness while people-watching to dissect the ins and outs of humanity and the emotions of social relationships it encompasses. However, the process behind this poem in particular was a bit different.

I was spending time with my older brother, talking about our past Halloweens and other spooky things when the subject of a Halloween poem came up. My brother and I are both writers. He’s much more into dark and eerie subjects than I am. He challenged me to write the best Halloween-themed poem I could come up with. 

It took many tries, I probably wrote four or five that weren’t in any way impressive. Then, he suggested I write about the thought process of women during the Salem witch trials – this was right up my alley. Feminine rage, I feel, is often overlooked and disregarded in literature. I knew I could use this idea to create something that would empower women, and give a voice to the woman in the poem: even as she is faced with death. After sitting down for five minutes mulling over this suggestion, I was able to throw together this poem pretty quickly. After approval from my brother, who is by far the most critical person I know when it comes to writing, I knew I had succeeded in his challenge. 

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The Killer and the Murder

one day i 

will talk

to the garden crows

the ones that dive

from smoky skies

obsidian beaks snatching

berries from dogwoods

the omen bearers,

who gather in a murder

upon the sinking

roof

of the garden shed 

above

their heads jerk-

observing,

black beady eyes

see something 

that i

cannot

leaves, old and new,

litter the ground below

moss claims

cobblestone paths

ivy plays a game

of go, against 

the man-made

i thought, perhaps,

i could tidy 

their garden overgrown

quickly-

painfully,

i learned those 

feathery creatures

did not wish this

for when i began

to gather leaves and

uproot weeds,

an ear-splitting screech

a calvary of crows

rage, in their eyes

they ripped out my hair

pecked at my hands 

they scratched, they screamed-  

painting their talons, their beaks

with the hue of my blood

with all their will

and all their might,

defended their kingdom-

their home,

from a killer like me

i looked at my palms

the dirt, the gorges- 

my punishment

from the plants i killed

i left 

only to return

under the same sun,

as the same fool

the garden crows jut

their heads toward me

despite their justly 

malice-

i trespass,

cradling an offering

handful of seeds

sunflowers, radishes, 

gourds, and more-

i scatter them about

only then,

they consider me  

in their wiseful gaze 

now i talk

with the garden crows

they caw, caw, caw-

i listen to their cries

i follow their 

eerie movements,

obsidian pecks at ivory

a skeleton is revealed

underneath wildflowers,

half-buried in soil

they tell me of death

of life,

they tell me nature must

reign again

i laid upon the earth

eyes fluttering shut,

becoming one with

soft sweet grass

in the garden forever,

the killer and the murder.

s.e.

This poem, written by Saint Martin’s student Scout England, is captivating, unsettling and evokes strong emotions. In asking her what her writing process is, England replied that she takes observations from her day-to-day life and records them for inspiration. She states, “Whether it’s a plant growing through the cracks of broken cement or the way the wind pushes the trees – I am always watching the world around me.” She asks herself what these moments teach her, what they mean and how she can use them as a way to turn hard emotions into words. 

England then explained to me what inspired this poem, in particular. It started from something small she observed at work, and she was able to turn it into a beautiful work of art. She describes this moment saying, “I was at work, and just outside the window by my desk were Korean dogwoods. It was fall and it’s during this time of the year that red berries decorate its branches.” She then explains that she noticed a crow flying down to take a berry from the branches. Then, England said, there was “another, and another – until there were dozens of crows raiding the Korean dogwood trees. It was a captivating sight. So, I wrote it down and by doing that, a whole poem began to unfold.” 

England then explained the overall meaning of her poem, and what she hopes readers can take away from it. She told me she hopes that people read the poem and start “regarding nature as something sacred.” She continued, “There is so much carelessness and violence towards nature and all the wonders that encompass it. By recognizing this, I hope people will consider how you can give back to nature with your whole being.” She used the sight of crows and dogwood to create a layered piece of work about nature, destruction and respect.