A miser walked the roads of Erin's night,
A drunken trickster, cunning, cold, and sly;
He cheated men and laughed as years went by,
Yet once he faced the Devil in his sight.
He bought himself from Hell through crafty might,
Then trapped his foe and made the Devil swear
That Jack's own soul would never be his share;
Thus twice he turned damnation from his flight.
But death could not be cheated by his art.
He reached Heaven's gate and found it barred;
He sought Hell's door, but there the Devil kept
The promise Jack had forced from him before.
So through the darkness Jack was left to roam,
With one coal's glow inside a hollowed root.
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Author:
Matthew R. Callies (
Offline) - Published: October 14th, 2026 05:03
- Comment from author about the poem: This poem is about the legend of Stingy Jack, an Irish folktale told around Halloween to explain the origin of the jack-o'-lantern. For more information, visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_O%27The_Lantern.
- Category: Unclassified
- Views: 10
- Users favorite of this poem: sorenbarrett, Tristan Robert Lange
- In collections: Heroes, Gods and Monsters, Poems for Spooktober.
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Comments2
Nicely told a story that in itself is a great one. Loved it Matthew
Matthew, I've always loved the darker folklore surrounding Halloween. There's something wonderfully unsettling about the old legends, especially when the supposed clever fellow discovers that cleverness has its limits! LOL! 🌹🖤🙏🕯️🐦⬛
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