In the land of the fairies, the gnomes and Saint Patrick
where black is the cat and the sky's full of bat tricks...
Yes it's Ireland we speak of, for mystic they are,
as their customs and antics are sometimes bizarre.

Comes the night of all saints, known as All Hallow's Day
and the lantern named Jacko, is out on display.
Once a turnip they took, and the innards extract,
and a fellow named Jack made with Satan a pact.
When they came to the states, 'twas the pumpkin they chose,
so our lawns house Jack's lantern and my, how it glows!

Hallo Ron, and Hallow Ian!

Are ya going spooking this year?

Merlin

Hi Ron,

Wow!! This certainly puts me in the mood for the holiday!!! I just love this time of year!

I believe you know that you've sacrificed correctness for the sake of rhyme, do you not? See below.


Once a turnip they took, and the innards extract,


To be grammatically correct "extract" should be past tense as is "took." It should read "extracted," but of course that messes up the rhyme. Don't know what to tell you.

Happy Halloween!!!

Peggy

Hi Ron,

What a seasonal poem this is and a fun one to imagine!

In the land of the fairies, the gnomes and Saint Patrick
where black is the cat and the sky's full of bat tricks...
Yes it's Ireland we speak of, for mystic they are, **might change this to 'those mystics: they are' OR for mystics. Another thought is to start this line with 'O instead of 'Yes'.
as their customs and antics are sometimes bizarre.

Comes the night of all saints{,} known as All Hallow's Day
and the lantern named Jacko{,} is out on display.
Once a turnip they took, and the innards extract, **Alternate below
Once a turnip they excised, its innards intact,
and a fellow named Jack made with Satan[,] a pact.
When they came to the states, 'twas the pumpkin they chose{,}[;]
{so} [Now] our lawns house Jack's lantern and my, how it glows!

Enjoyed the read,
~Cleo

Dear Cleo,
It is totally true that I sprinkle my verse with commas sorta like one does with salt on an ear of corn.
It may be that my goal is unmet by all those commas, but I do it because I try to make my verse musical and those misplaced commas are there to differentiate between quarter notes and half notes- sorta.
Everything in verse I've ever wrote is intended to be read aloud. I suspect that rarely occurs and so when read like prose, those commas simply confuse. Such is my frustration!
Line 3 starts with "yes" as I was hoping to confirm in the reader's mind that I recognized that he figgered Ireland when he read St. Patrick.

Dear Peggy,
You certainly are correct in noting my undervaluing of grammar.
I'll let prose claim grammar as I have a nearly infinite poetic license.

Hope you all enjoyed Halloween!
Cheers to all, Ron jgdittier