pumpkin pies
pumpkin patches
pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin

lone porch
with the light off
ding dong ditch

friends outside
I still haven't found
a costume

All Hallows Eve
All Saints Day
cherry blossoms

dead end street
eating the candy . . .
no one came for

Halloween party
drinking Bailey's
out of shoes

All Hallow's Eve
i sit home alone
eating candy

glancing down the street
her light
is the only one off

Hallow's Eve,
she takes off
her facade

candy bowls
sign says take one
I will consider it

little creatures
hasten hand-in-hand
through the dark

a klaxon
the crowd surrounds
the other team

pumpkin patch
you pick the ugly ones
picked me

one dead leaf
under the full moon—
loneliness

at this time
pumpkin-anything
is the very best

on my walk to class
I accidentally bump into
Minnie Mouse

the rich neighborhoods
give better candy
empty street

at my door
batman
wearing a coat

knock knock
trick or treat
toothbrushes

creeping through woods
we jump out and scream
children run

witching hour
on Halloween morning
I call a safe ride

crooked grin
of pumpkins carved too early
walking home alone

through the front window
we see you ignoring us
doorbell rings again

friends try and catch me
as I run
Pumpkins!

staring into
my candy bag,
a Candy Cane

poor women
they didn't even know
they were witches

alice in wonderland
dark versions intrigue
the weirder side of me

music swirling above
forming words
I can never say

after three years
same red swing
I'm still your son

recent graduates
catch up
can she really have children?

homecoming photo
his arms around her
awkwardly

twilight
the farmer fills
the grain truck

Amish farm
sharing friend's family
caramel apples

moonlit orbs
a raccoon
at midnight

trip to a football game
am I just
your ride?

first night back
my father cuts
the christmas tree

number 71 on the sidelines
he doesn't know
I'm in the stands

chilly game night
watching my son play
for my old team

home away from home
surrounded by brothers—
an only child

fall break weekend
I borrow
all my sister's hoodies

wind's whisper
I lend her
my favorite hoodie

homecoming
suddenly realizing
life wasn't so bad

running
almost too cold
for just a t-shirt

I slip to the ground
the slime and mush
cover my pants

long forest walk
plucking the last leaf
from its tree

cool nights
I wonder
how the crickets feel

campfire smell
hay itching my bum
riding with friends

October night
I lie down
on the cool dirt

divorced parents
always having
somewhere to go

A halting voice,
I hear my father.
It can't be.

sports star
and his new wife—
another young model

Thanksgiving
I'm not at
the kids table anymore

after summer passes
romance and flowers
wilting

one pair of jeans
how long
will these last