Little Bo Peep and
the TROLL on the Street

Written By: George L. Avery

tradition dictates
on all hallows eve
i build a hefty fire
unnerneath me cauldron
and enter suburbia
in search of victuals
whar abides a length of hedgerow
adjoining one domestile to its neighbor
and a good swath of darkened road
whar i can scout for pilgrims
laden with wares
undisguised
i overtake them
wit me long strides
not unlike the friendly hail
o a pirate sloop
when a fat merchant
waddles past the horn
carrying water
way up past its breeches
and just in case
they d be affrighted
by my forward nature
i puts them at ease
wit a frienly [good evenin]
and not until
we ve walked a ways tergither
in mutual brutherhood
and requited acceptance
do i lean in close
wharby me halitosis
peels the enamel
off their halloween costumes
and tightens their laryngial muscles
like a strong ammonia
near enuff
so s there is no mistakin
the mischief that s in me eye
and i ask
[how fast can you run
i bet i can run faster]

and they all scream like little girls

but last night
in the aftermath of an eventful evening
o waylaying trick or treaters
what left me grubsack
fearful o bustin its tether
whar only a occasional straggler
remained on the streets
who was scarcely worth the bother
i spied a bonny miss little bo peep
comin a traipsing over the rise
struggling wit a heavy sack o confections
what she was dragging wit a efficiency
unmatched by anyone o her small stature
right down the checkered line
she approached
and as i awaited her
i got giddy on the brain
[good evenin] i greeted
and i doffed my imaginary hat
and bowed so low
my forehead bruised the pavement

[a good evening indeed] said she
[much better than last year even]

[how so] i asked

[its simple mathematics] she answered

[glad to hear it] i said
[might a gentleman assist a lady with her luggage]

[but of course
it is heavy and i live a long way yet]

my heart skipped a beat
once i d hefted her load
for it was heavier than my own
but iamTROLL
and t was no burden at all
not until
we d walked a ways tergither
in mutual brutherhood
and requited acceptance
did little bo peep
motion me to lean in close
wharby i could glean
past the bonnet
and superficial makeup
near enuff
so s there was no mistakin
the mischief in her eye
and she asked
[how fast can you run
i bet i can run faster]

i shrieked like a little girl

cause miss bo peep
was no chile midget at all
but a bonified grandmither
wearing tennis shoes
laced up past her ankles
i might ha gotten away
but she hooked me by the throat
wit a shephards crook
just when i had begun to think
i had the chase won
by that time
i was so out of breath
i couldn t struggle
as i was dragged back
to whar she untied my grubsack
and let my supper loose
what filed past one by one
to give me scornful looks
and a occasional kick to me shins
then granma unlaced her own grubsack
and shoved me inside
whar i was horrified to find
i was not alone
granmither
was a veritable TROLL menace

lissen childrun
if you suspect
your granmither
is keeping a TROLL
locked in her cupboard
i appeal to you
swipe the keys and
release me and i will
tell you where i ve stashed
all the candied confections
from those many years
of trolling
suburbia
on halloween nights

[....then we ll have supper togither] teeheehee

fer
i am TROLL †

Do Be Safe
ON ALL HALLOWS EVE

THE END

10/24/04



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