HALLOWEEN day 7: poetry set

Our final note for 2020’s week of halloween: a new set of poetry.

Please take a few moments to take in these originals from local writers; they’ll make you laugh, make you reflect, and also inform you that somewhere in Joplin is a gravestone dedicated to a performing bear.

illustration by Dave Thomas / @captaincdt

Zombummer

by Matt Otey

I was under the impression

the zombie apocalypse would be scarier

or at least pretty damned noticeable.

Hell, even Shaun had some suspense

And Romero’s day or two terrified

while commenting on the culture

leading, of course, to us:

malnourished zombies,

fewer and fewer and fewer brains to eat

Sad.

I hope they like soup.

All Hallows

avilla mo ghost town joplin toad photo by Curtis AlmeterIMG_7435-Edit.jpg

by Deb Livesay

Feel the power surge along the ley lines;

the October moon climbs the sky

and the veil grows thinner.

The dead move among the living this night;

only the Spirit within protects

from the spirits that surround.

A Smash Broadway Hit!

By Travis Hurley

(to the tune of “Memory” from CATS)

Midday.

Not a sound from the pavement.

May I share this memory? …I was driving alone.

In the sunlight, a cat jumped out in front of my wheel,

And my Oldsmobile…rumbled on.

illustration by Aubrey Prunty / @breezyartwork

Noontime.

I was running some errands.

Did I have time for one more?

My lunch waited at home.

In the rearview it seems that it was life number nine.

Poor little feline. It makes me yawn.

Memory.

By myself in the front seat.

Cars behind me we’re swerving…avoiding blood on their chrome.

For a moment, the guilt consumed me, but then it passed.

This cat won’t be my last… before I’m gone!

Sure and yet still

by Matt Otey

Of course there’s the darkness:

the night holds its horrors

loose in fist, ready let fly.

Spook houses with faux terrors

pale alongside long hard lives

But the palette has more,

more than fear and trembling;

shadows aren’t so scary

when you see the leaves

and the maple making them

Hope beyond the macabre,

seek the beauty so close,

her fingers entwining

fall, decay and even death

soon exchanged for life again.

Ghost bear!

illustration by Austin Spencer / @Austin_the_augustan

By Matt Otey

Betty the bear bared her teeth

Grotesque, the grinding and growling

Long dead and down deep decaying

Her spirit sought and ever seeks

repayment retribution and recompense!

actual gravestone, found at Schifferdecker park in Joplin Missouri (photo by Matt Otey)

contributors

matt otey (poet)

Matt Otey is a local golf enthusiast and tries to write poems sort of like he tried writing this editorial. He doesn’t live in Joplin , but wants you to know he thinks the space is best for everyone right now and that, really, you’re pretty great, it’s just not the right time for him.

@sw_mo_golf

Travis Hurley.PNG — travis hurley (poet)

Dr. Travis Hurley has worked in full-time ministry for over 25 yrs, currently as Director of Advancement for Watered Gardens Ministries here in Joplin and as a chaplain for the United States Navy Reserve.
In addition to 4 children, Travis has 3 grandsons who regularly join him in mischief around the 4-state area of SW of Missouri.
He doesn’t hate cats. He just preserves steak.

Deb Livesay.png — deb Livesay (poet)

I’m a Joplin expat now living in Northwest Arkansas. Lately I spend my time talking to other people’s cats, washing other people’s plants, and trying to navigate a world seething with predatory Dementors. When allowed, I teach writing and lead tiny workshops. My heart is in Joplin, in the pockets and purses of my children.

aubrey prunty (illustrator)

Aubrey is a full-time artist and sister to all.

She help inspire the inner artist in everyone and invite them to experience positive, life-changing creativity so that they can find their joy and feel a sense of artistic accomplishment, and in doing so, possibly help them to discover a new passion!

@breezyartwork