JOSEPH OUELLETTE

Halloween: An Autumn Memory

North Winds take Indigo bights out of a ripe pearl moon.
Crisp salads of autumn leaves peppered with road dust and salted with 
early snow.
Dancing light of a swaying farm lantern carried by the man
shepherding laughing, running children house to house
arrayed in costumes and castoffs.
Wild, riotous patchworks of fabric, texture and color.

Faces hidden, but flashing eyes fooling no one.

Treasures, demanded in shy and halting style,
freely given by mothers in their best transparent
Broadway “who's this” and “oh your scary”!
Porches dressed in glowing pumpkin yellow, corn stalks and hay bales
out of place but oh so correct on this night of exuberant, gentle 
suspension
of “who am I?”, this joyful extortion of bounty,
This wonderful sharing of the night.
Look and hear the counterpoint of fearful dress and crystal ringing voices
of sheer unrehearsed joy.
The tingling serendipity of a child's delight!

Home now... run! The sack is full!
Cold and windy evenings build the wonderful chill
Remedied only by warm milk, under a cosy throw by a crackling fire.

Treasures studied and valuated by appraising flashing eyes.
Shouts of joy at the discovery of an unique and unexpected jewel
not part of the usual Walmart blend.
Two months till Christmas!
Its begun!
To bed.. Now! Excitement takes its loving toll.

North Winds take Indigo bights out of a ripe pearl moon.
The man, old now, sits with smiles of recollection, the children, long gone.
The fire.... his warm and comforting aide memoire.

copyright JOSEPH OUELLETTE