home alone
floorboard creaks
i hide under the covers
shower running
the creak creak
of the floorboards
empty library
walls creak slowly
rats
friends explore
the abandoned house
it's empty . . . no longer
top quarter champion
TOP half Chamption
bottom quarter champion
haunted house
the young girl tugs
on her father’s shirt
looking around the room
the little fairy
tries to find her mother
crunch of dead leaves . . .
hairs on neck
stand straight up
bumpy hay ride
zombies emerge
from the woods
TOP half champion
CHAMPION
BOTTOM half champion
popout decor in my front yard
little red riding hood
falls down
a clown no longer hides
the little girl
screams
a knock on the door
she looks through the peephole
an eye stares back
bitter cold
ballerinas, superheroes, doctors
bundled in coats and scarves
top quarter champion
BOTTOM half champion
bottom quarter champion
masks, costumes, and make-up
we pretend to be who we are not
a daily occurence
finally alone
she replaces her mask
with a Halloween mask
plump pumpkin
I cut into
smiley face illuminated
Jack-o-lanterns gawk
while she struts by
a skimpy costume