ghost stories

Cousins, on holidays,
huddled in a flash-lit circle, 
poring over Fantasmagoria magazine,
watching Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark,
scaring the lights out of the little ones
who never forgot
the story of the Hairy Hand
or how it felt
having a big cousin like you
to tell us the dark tales.

This poem is my response to Laurie's request that the Real Toads write a phantasmagoric poem. That word brings up this memory strongly for me, so I just had to write about it. 

This poem is dedicated with love to my cousin Susan.