GhoulS

battering on windows,
eerie scrapings on siding,
the thump of laughter
when lights shine.

it’s another night
in the new neighborhood,
teens dancing like ghouls
in streetlights,
obscenities soap-scrawled
on car windows.

school again with strangers,
moving in tough.
no summer chance to brawl,
maybe set things right.

territorial imperative,
they were here first.
friendly banter, nonsense,
evil at the core.

who sets these rules?
no one.
who moderates hatred?
some primitive pulse.

midnight’s restless,
looking for a fight,
but cowards strike
at innocence
and brooding revenge
no help into the night.