Halloween Poem

There Was an Old Lady
Who Ate Up a Ghost

Written by: Jose Martin McDermott
Transcribed by: Becca Hardick

There was an old lady who ate up a ghost

I don’t know why she ate up that ghost

She might be toast

There was an old lady who ate up a witch

Who cackled and cackled and snickered inside her

She ate up the witch to scare the ghost

Though I don’t know why she ate up the ghost

She might be toast

There was an old lady who ate up a bat

How insane to eat up a bat

She ate up the bat to creep out the witch

Who cackled and cackled and snickered inside her

She ate up the witch to scare the ghost

I don’t know why she ate up the ghost

She might be toast

               There was an old lady who ate up a crow

Think of that, to eat up a crow

She ate up the crow to catch the bat

She ate up the bat to creep out the witch

Who cackled and cackled and snickered inside her

She ate up the witch to scare the ghost

And, I don’t know why she ate up the ghost

                                  She might be toast

There was an old lady who ate a black cat

She must be fat, to eat a black cat

She ate up the cat to get the crow

She ate up the crow to catch the bat

She ate up the bat to creep out the witch

Who cackled and cackled and snickered inside her

She ate up the witch to scare the ghost

And, I don’t know why she ate up the ghost

She might be toast

There was an old lady who ate up a werewolf

Just used her teeth to chew up a werewolf

She ate up the werewolf to snatch the cat

She ate up the cat to get the crow

She ate up the crow to catch the bat

She ate up the bat to creep out the witch

Who cackled and cackled and snickered inside her

She ate up the witch to scare the ghost

         But, I don’t know why she ate up the ghost

           She might be toast

"Must be a sin"

There was an old lady who ate up a pumpkin

Must be a sin to eat up a pumpkin

She ate up the pumpkin to tempt the werewolf

She ate up the werewolf to snatch the cat

She ate up the cat to get the crow

She ate up the crow to catch the bat

She ate up the bat to creep out the witch

Who cackled and cackled and

snickered inside her

She ate up the witch to scare the ghost

          But, I don’t know why she ate up the ghost

              She might be toast

There was an old lady who ate up a vampire

Now no surprise… she’s expired

Poem inspired by Rose Bonne’s book, “I Know an Old Lady”