House With a Black Front Window

There is a house on Patton road
hidden deep in an old apple orchard

The twisted trees portend
that something evil lurks there
waiting for someone to come to close
allured by curiosity, the thrill of a dare.


It is a window with a spirit lurking
inside as paint peels off walls.
The house creaks and groans.

Built long ago by old man Biggs
known as an evil man
who drank whiskey
and lived alone in the house.

It was rumored that he had buried
his wife and family somewhere
out in the back lot.


His ghost prowls inside the house waiting
to trap those who unwittingly enter.


I remember the stories
and how we took the dare
in the middle of the night.

Three boys with flashlights
crept on a night with no moon
to the house where shadows waited.

We saw the walls
as the floor creaked
and a rat scampered

Nothing moved.
Nothing happened.
But to this day I know something
was in that house
and touched our souls
in an malevolent way.

I wake up sometimes
laughing possessed
like a crazy old man
trying to escape me

I see paint peeling off walls
and a dark gaze streaming
out of my portals.

A desire to do something sinister
pounding out of my heart.