The Fall of Vampire Hunters

Matthew Wilson

I can’t stand the scent of popcorn

I was a child when it happened

When daddy took me to the circus

To watch the vampire fight the hunter.

Of course the fellow was no Van Helsing

He was a bum who missed his bill

And to make back their money

Management put an old cloak on him.

For a round or two the vampire danced

Whipping the crowd up into a fever

Making their own bets of the winner

Before he leapt and fed on the fellow.

So now I cannot stand the smell of popcorn

And sometimes this old man can sleep

But there is always the possibility of bad dreams

Of hearing a crowd roar when the match begins anew.