October 31, 2023

spooky Halloween day,
grey clouds blotting out the rising sun/
the apprehension as evening approaches
our last-minute costumes not quite done/
and the excitement to see children enjoying everything scary,
and friends visiting to help with vibes and such

i suppose this Halloween can still be awesome
[i’ve had doubts ever since last year’s COVID Halloween —
lonely, sickly, and distanced —
but it can be good again/
it can be good again]

October 23, 2023

the supreme satisfaction
when we hear from the front yard
laughter and admiration
at our Skeleton Self-Scare Party

[Halloween decorating:
we may be a little
later than we wanted
but at least we got it
and we got it
good]

August 27, 2023

listening
to spooky music
while the weather is still nice and warm
does not make the time fly
faster —
it instead
makes me believe
we live in a place
where halloween costumes
need not
be crafted
to fit oversized
over winter coats,
and trick-or-treating
need not
happen
in blusters of snow
and ice,
and the day after
need not
indicate
an immediate
seasonal
depression.

August 7, 2023

rain pouring/
pounding
on our little roof,
waking me up
long before the sound
of our collective alarms,
but lulling me into
a false sense of security
that i would be able to
fall gently asleep
once more

instead the internet/
and uneven droplets/
and awkward room temperature/
and brightness sneaking in
from a gentle sunrise
outside
kept me up since 5

and now
at 8:30
i’m downing this coffee
just to stay
alive

(but at least the weather is as spooky as our morning music)

September 30, 2022

an end
to September
a month i thought i had
far more of
to do
and plan
and write
and post

but October is not an ending
it is a beginning
[as are all months,
but the winter ones feel more like finalés
than startings]
a beginning to a full month of fall,
a beginning to full-out spooky mode–
set out decorations
finalize plans for costumes
(maybe even plan a party),
a start to drawloween/inktober/drawtober/whatever we
decide to do
daily/weekly/monthly tasks
making the shorter days
fly by
with creativity
and panache
and a little bit of stress
and a whole lot of art

and i could get overwhelmed
with planning for November
and then how it’ll turn to December
in basically the blink of an eye
but i
have decided to live fully
inside this October
when it comes

but right now
good-bye,
September,
good-bye.