The Halloween Vampire! Poem by Denis Martindale

The trick was simply to stay alive,
Defeat him while time permitted,
To cross his path without fear,
Willing to die or become an undead...
The burden of responsibilty fixed to my heart,
With no way out and nowhere to run,
Kill or be killed, the only solution...
The location specifically chosen, no escape,
No second chance once committed,
The traps were already set in place,
Ready to fire on target on my command,
The all-important remote control in my hand,
Arrows fixed, there to strike from crossbows,
With so many angles covered at once,
Hidden from sight, awaiting their destiny...

The vicious vampire returned to his home,
The crosses appeared as the curtain drapes fell,
Dazzling lights shone upon the crosses,
The vampire stood motionless, unable to flee,
One simple button press meant to end the horror,
The arrows screamed through the air,
Half found their target and he collapsed...
I watched from behind another curtain,
Saw him shrivel into gruesome grains of dust...
Then waited till the sunrise came once more...
Yet one more hour passed undisturbed...
I drew back the curtain and walked forward,
Holy water surrounding me on all sides,
Holy Bible strapped to my chest for safety,
The dust lay there without scattering,
I purified the final remains and walked away...
I wept for him as if he were my brother...
He was once a close friend, now he was no more...


Denis Martindale, October the 31st,
in the Year of Our Lord 2013.