Poem of the Day: The Ghoul (by Jack Prelutsky)

Yesterday’s poem was just a little bit spooky, so today I’m moving on to totally creepy! The book is Nightmares: Poems to Trouble Your Sleep, by Jack Prelutsky (illustrations by Arnold Lobel–Frog and Toad would be freaked out, I’ve gotta say!). It’s an out-of-print oldie, but a goodie to look for used or through your library system. If you’re a fan of the slightly gruesome, you’ll love this book. Here’s my favorite poem, which my husband Randy introduced me to, about a nasty gentleman known as 

The Ghoul

The gruesome ghoul, the grisly ghoul,
without the slightest noise
waits patiently beside the school
to feast on girls and boys

He lunges fiercely though the air
as they come out to play,
and grabs a couple by the hair
and drags them far away.

He cracks their bones and snaps their backs
and squeezes out their lungs,
he chews their thumbs like candy snacks
and pulls apart their tongues.

He slices their stomachs and bites their hearts
and tears their flesh to shreds,
he swallows their toes like toasted tarts
and gobbles down their heads

Fingers, elbows, hands and knees
and arms and legs and feet—
he eats them with delight and ease,
for every part’s a treat.

And when the gruesome grisly ghoul
has nothing left to chew,
he hurries to another school
and waits. . . perhaps for you.

–Jack Prelutsky, all rights reserved