{The Birds}

“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door —
Only this, and nothing more.
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe

Here is my ode to Halloween, the kick-starter of the holiday campaign season. I am a huge Halloween fan, dating back to childhood.  I may have posted this poem before, it's a favorite and always comes to mind when I think chill up your neck scary.  Along with Psycho, anything involving spiders, dark alley ways, the movie Halloween, kidnapper white vans in dark alley ways...oh and Stephen King's Shining. Or just Stephen King in general. I could keep adding to this list.
I will post more as things come to mind but I am going to attempt share my first big Halloween scare. It was when we were living on 42nd street and ballpark age around 8 or 9 years old. I'm pretty sure I was a karate kid as this was the costume we could afford and was easily accessible (my dad was a purple belt, had the costume). I was nerdy and rolly polly, so this worked. I felt tough.
The Gorilla Incident of 1983 started fun, we trailed around our nice Erie neighborhood, down the hill of Brandes, past the park and auto shop. Rounding the corner onto 38th and the beginning of the Erie hood, I was still confident and satisfied with the evening and accumulated goodies. Held tight and heavy in my pillow case.
This is when it all changed, we entered an apartment complex. It was the corner apartment, I approached (with sister and cousins).  I confidently rang the bell, collected the goods and turned my back.  Within seconds the largest roar and screams hit my back and I puked up my stomach in fear. A gigantic, rabid like, black furry gorilla was barreling right toward me. Innocent banana in hand. The fact I didn't shit my pants it was a miracle.  I only screamed.  Cliche blood curly scream. I was terrorized and it stood there deer in headlights.  There was no mercy with this gorilla and he definatly did not care that we were small children. I'm sure it was too a halloween highlight on his end. Possibly a tweaked out pot-smoking college boy with a mission...who knows. It was successful.
Fortunately, my brave father intervened and provided what was to be the first of many discussions with the terrorizing bullies in my life. This moment is still burned in my brain and after the Gorilla of 1983 we traveling north of 38th street and stuck to sweet city blocks with flower pots on the front steps.  I'll never forget.