a little witch
she leaves behind
a trail of candy wrappers

trick or treat
tinder matching
with a classroom crush

demon girl
one day of the year
without my costume

Halloween party invites
I slip into
my pajamas

Halloween party
did I just make out
with a banana?

Halloween party
all I think about is
my Olivia Newton

scandalous costumes
decorate the room
what are you celebrating?

Halloween
when did it become
about being sexy?

sexy nurse
why is my uniform
a costume

pondering costumes
who will you be
tomorrow

the one day of the year
putting on a mask
is praised

costume party
I slap a nametag
on my shirt

your Halloween mask
stays on for
365 days

mardi gras mask
it covers
the mask i always wear

wallet thin
I guess I' ll dress as
a college student

beggars’ night
a child complains
about the coat over his costume

crisp halloween morning
a valid excuse
to put on my mask

a preschool princess
with a pumpkin basket
when did I get so old?

trick or treat!
oh god . . .
I forgot to buy candy

bowl of candy
we wait for superheroes
and princesses

candy
much too sweet for me
all grown up

little dinosaur
so cute
even the ghosts giggle

brisk night
dressed up
children run and giggle

he grabs her little hand
as they cross the street
for more treasures

I see
that empty smile
carved pumpkin

wind whistles
through the leaves of trees
a child’s laughter

family corn maze
where I am
doesn’t matter

smashed beneath
his foot
a pumpkin massacre

a hand
to hold
through a pumpkin patch

jack - o - lantern smile
her face
glows in the dark

the littlest vampire
knocks
at my door

blood-red leaf
twirls
in crisp October air

lopsided grin
my sad attempt
at pumpkin carving

forever wishing
I was matching costumes
with you

halloween breakup
your new costume:
single

“it’s over,” I told him
freedom
on halloween night

bye bye boy
2 years, over.
this candy is just for me

scary movie
an excuse
to lean against you

horror movie
what a perfect excuse
to hold you closer

what is colder
the night
or your heart

that night
“we need to talk”
my spookiest

halloween blind date
will you be the trick
or the treat

creak of a swing set
in the howling wind
the witching hour

frozen in a blanket
a power outage cuts off
the horror movie

horror movie
I like the gory parts but
she wants to kiss

in the dark
I feel her touch
no reply

a skeleton rests in a field
too many bones
to be human

dense swamp forest
echo of the puddle splash
it found them

I tell daddy
check for monsters under the bed—
he never comes back up

a mother chokes his neck
the scariest demons
are never from hell

last alive
at the door
                a knock

empty campus
a leaf blows
across the quad

clotted blood
she takes a sip
too thick for her taste

solitary walk down the street
a singular red balloon
floats