Skies have grayed under diffuse sunlight
Leaves have turned orange and red
Air has cooled to accommodate the goblins rising tonight
Children are giddy thinking up who they want to be and of the fun playing who is that,
expecting pounds of candy for their trouble.
They dress up funny or scary
Demand flustered parents pay attention to make them look right.
Embody completely in specially inspired costumes the imaginary selves they want to be: a dinosaur or fairy queen, a zombie or fiend, even a buxom Dolly or an angry Trump.
Neighbors put out jack-o’-lanterns for an evening of fright; decorate yards with ghosts and ghouls to lord over doorways or guard gates.
Tonight witches brew their magic and
Time falls under the spell of childhood fantasy
Lonely neighbors prepare potions and treats for meet and greet
Parents worry over sugar highs and nightmare dreams
The festival begins with the setting sun
And all is made ready for Halloween fun —
To walk darkened streets
Hidden behind masks
Flashlights waving
Screaming and shouting
Knocking at doors —
Hear them creep open
Yell out bravely to those haunting inside
Trick or Treat
THH
10/31/26
