Patricia McAlpine is a poet residing in Burrillville, RI. She has a BS in English from Northeastern University and has participated in several writing workshops and was coordinator of the Galway Kinnell Poetry Contest/Festival in Pawtucket, RI. Her poems have appeared in several anthologies, including: Crosswinds Summer 2024, Notable Works publication, “Voices of the Earth – The Future of Our Planet, Vol. II & III and “In the Midst – A Covid-19 Anthology.”
An Acrostic for October
Owls make your presence known.
Call of wilderness
To The
Otherworld grows strong.
Beneath a silvery moon,
Earth decays, grows silent.
Restless souls awake
Halloween Origins
We convene to honor the dead
set out Jack O’Lanterns to ward off evil,
treats for those we have loved
As the Celtic year comes to an end,
we gather the final harvest and share
in the abundance with gratitude.
Samhain Ritual
As sun rises at dawn,
a veil of mist and shadows
reveals the vibrant fire of autumn
When mist returns at dusk, I walk
leaf-laden paths in wooded groves
following sound of owls’ haunting screech
Shrouded in the shadows of darkness,
I dance with ghosts and goblins
unawares from the rest of the world.