Writer – Author
each night as many lay their heads to sleep
the Darkness inside me begins to creep
perverse satisfaction is all i seek
to close my Stained eyes and forever sleep
this peaceful Death, how it would taste so sweet
some might find this to be an extreme thought
to end a life when for so long you fought
but for all the work no Joy you have brought
and is wishing for Peace such a bad thought
all have wished for Peace; they wish it a lot
Early poetry from James.
The modern Halloween we are all familiar with is a combination of celebrations for the Gaelic Festival Samhain and the Catholic celebrations of All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day. Samhain marked the end of the harvest and end of Summer and the beginning of the “darker half” of the year. It was believed that the boundaries between this world and the Otherworld were more easily crossed on this day. This meant the spirits or faeries could travel to our world. It was also believed that spirits of lost relatives would visit, and feasts were had in their remembrance.
Part of the festival involved people going door to door in costumes or disguises reciting versus in exchange for food. The disguises were intended to either appear as spirits or hide from spirits who crossed over to this world. Bonfires, rituals, and games were a big part of the festival as well. Neopagans and Wiccans now celebrate Samhain as a religious holiday. Samhain is part of the annual cycle of seasonal festivals called The Wheel of the Year. It is seen as a festival of darkness which is balanced at the opposite point of the wheel by the festival of Beltane, which is celebrated as a festival of light and fertility on May 1.
Here in Tucson, AZ we have the annual All Soul’s Procession celebrating the family members people have lost. However you celebrate; whether it’s remembering you lost family members, posing as a spirit and collecting offering from others, or enjoying a bonfire with friends, stay safe and have a blessed Samhain.
Everything’s a distraction
Watching movies
Listening to live music
Meeting friends at bars
It all distracts you
From the darkness within
You awake every morning
With a black cloud
Hovering over you
No one else sees it
No one would suspect
You’d have one
But you see it
It’s always there
So, you do things
To distract you
You stay busy
Avoiding the black cloud
Sometimes staying busy
Isn’t enough to help
Sometimes the black cloud
Surrounds you and
Nothing you do can
Save you or stop it
You don’t know how
It goes away but it does
It never really goes away
So, you learn to live with it
But your fear of it
Taking over never leaves
The black cloud makes you
Think the worst things
About yourself and others
You become your own
Worst enemy; a villain
Fueled by hate and pain
Your emotions are
A powerful force
And you’ve slipped
Into the dark side
The darkness wants
To consume you
How do you emerge from
The darkness after it takes hold
Everyone’s path is different
Your path might be alone
Ending it all is not the answer
Don’t let the darkness win
Never give up and
Never surrender
But don’t live through
Distractions either
Find a way to overcome
Make the darkness disappear
From the poetry collection Cats, Coffee, Catharsis.
James Pack 