Tagging Along - Oct 29 2023

 

Tagging Along

Oct 29 2023



There was always the good house

with the best candy

we circled back to.

I suppose they were well off

in a working class neighbourhood.

Perhaps grandparents

estranged from their families,

who missed having kids

around the house.

Or people who were not only generous

but just plain fun;

unlike our parents

who were strict,

bought in bulk,

and were hopelessly square

(it was the 60's,

we used words like that!)

This was before

razor blades in apples,

hovering parents

who stand at the curb

and imagine the worst,

or anyone cared

about sugar highs

and free radicals

and ethically sourced.

And even if it was

just an urban myth,

an apple on Halloween

is like getting a toothbrush

or school supplies;

we'd have ossed them anyway.

A pillowcase

gripped in cold little hands.

A cheap mask

you could barely breathe in,

held on

by a flimsy rubber band.

A costume

from the five and dime

that was a Spandex fire trap.

Out after dark

on a chilly autumn night.

Thrilled

to be out with your older brother

and all his usual buddies,

who were clearly amused

to see him stuck with you.

While he, of course, protested

but did what he'd been told;

walking briskly ahead

pretending you weren't there.