Lantern Jack Loses It

By Cliff Lake

 

Lantern Jack Loses It

 

Lantern Jack was feeling black,

His scare demeanor had gone slack.

He could not freeze them in their tracks,

He was afraid he’d lost his knack.

 

He needed to scare at hello,

Or Lantern Jack was just some schmo.

Lantern Jack needed scare ammo,

Or Lantern Jack would frighten no bro.

 

Lantern Jack had lost his mojo.

Lantern Jack would be a no show.

 

Lantern Jack and his black cat,

Went out to where there’s toadstools at.

Lantern Jack filled up his top hat,

Brought them home to his big black vat.

 

Jack now set the pot to boil.

Waited for the mess to roil.

Jack added in some snake oil,

And a pinch of graveyard soil.

 

Lantern Jack had lost his mojo.

Lantern Jack would frighten no mo.

 

Jack put in exotic spices,

And some powdered batwing slices.

Said invocations once or twices,

And stirred the stew with weird devices.

 

But then Jack’s bony big black cat,

Took great offence, sat up and spat.

The stench was horrid from the vat,

The cat would not put up with that.

 

Lantern Jack had lost his mojo.

The cat thought Jack would be a no go.

 

Jack’s cat attacked with razored paw,

Lantern Jack he meant to claw,

But Jack was quick: he turned and saw,

Both would fight and not withdraw.

 

They fought with hand and paw and bite,

They wrangled that way all the night.

Come that morning a scary sight:

They both of them looked quite the fright.

 

Lantern Jack got back his mojo.

Lantern Jack outside your window.

 

Cliff Lake 10/5/2024

Copyright © Clifford Lake 2024

Location: Wichita, KS, USA

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