On this coming All Hallow's Eve
How many goodies shall we leave
When we head across town to
Celebrate with family who
Live on a street with lots of kids
Trick or Treating with their sibs?
At the old house every year,
Warlocks & witches would come near
Our new neighbor kids seem missing in action
Halloween on the hill gives no satisfaction
On the night of boos & ghouls
Do they seek out malls and schools?*
Where do all the children go?
No candles in carved pumpkins glow
Not one ballerina, nor comic hero
Do I hear the fiddler Nero?
How many costumes? How 'bout ZERO?
Am I simply being romantic?
Is this vacuum symptomatic?
Life now feels so automatic.
Lives are busy, this we know
Can we conjure olden times slow?
Popcorn balls and apples caramelled
Homemade treats still unparalleled
In this age of fear and compromise
It's not just milk that we homogenize
One size fits most; experience blended
Originality used to be splendid
Where are the pirates with charcoaled cheeks
And ghosts made up of household sheets?
Store-bought masks replace bound-with-laces-
Handmade costumes and painted faces
We champion diversity in Oakland's city
Yet the pop-up sellers of atrocity
Sell electronic decorations that dart
Or shriek or moan or smell of farts
Hobbling us to putrid conformity
Wreaking of stifled uniformity
Life with nearby community
Has much to offer you and me
Beyond the night of bats and clowns
All other nights the whole year 'round
We live near humans rich in wisdom
Stories ignite communal vision
We may learn more from those who're different
From us; who had to keep their upper lip stiffer when
Through adversities they had to go
Hearing their lessons helps us to grow
As we listen with our hearts open
For world-wide softening is what I'm hopin'
Coming soon, the night of wonder
Hoping the Orange Trumpkin doesn't blunder
Ripping the entire world asunder
Hell's fury sounds a mighty thunder
While he rants & tweets at each broadcaster
I fear this most unnatural disaster
Every atomic tweet I hear
Ramps up ever growing fear
That life on earth which we hold dear
Will end up on a funeral bier
But come, my friends, let's strike a chord
Turn against the ugly hoard
Of divisiveness and rancor
Let melody & harmony be our anchor
Happy Halloween!
* Our Nextdoor Neighborhood chat site contemplated this question. Answers to why there are no kids here on Halloween include naming our neighborhood unsafe because it's poorly lit and there are no curbs, and the lure of wonderful venues where kids can show off their costumes in the light of the mall and consume a LOT of candy given out by shop-keepers.
Still, I wish I could take the granddaughter and her pals back in a time machine to the "fun house" we neighborhood kids constructed in howling winds October 1958 - complete with sensory delights like peeled grapes for eye-balls, cooked spaghetti for brains and walking on eggshells meant to simulate broken glass.
Moms sixty years ago certainly allowed for messier celebrations than most kids are allowed currently.
No comments:
Post a Comment