HALLOWEEN 2021
by Lisa Conger
Halloween night
lifts the veil,
thin as smoke,
between life and death,
in a manner we mock
with disguise
and masquerades.
In efforts to scare ourselves,
we make fun
of that which terrifies us--
exaggerating the monstrous
with giant spiders and hanging bats
as decoration.
We equate death
with darkness
and counter it
with jaunty jack-o’-lanterns.
In these strange
and dangerous times,
I’d rather be with a mask,
then without one.
A Halloween Story
by Venus Bratsveen
Creepy things that scare me:
Marauding band of nuclear physicists; weaponized sleepy toddler; sitting in a dark room when the lights come on… by themselves.
These are the odd things I thought about sitting at the traffic light at 1st & Cheney-Spokane Roads. I was coming back from Yoke’s one sunny afternoon in October, going over my extensive “to do” list. Silly thoughts pervaded as they often do. “Weaponized sleepy toddler?” Boy, isn’t that what every parent fears? I traveled down memory road remembering my own son tossing a Tonka truck at me. Before the giggles could set in, I felt what could only be described as an electrical current race through my body. The hair on my head and arms stood up and a chill ran down my back.
The sky darkened and a strong, un-natural wind picked up. Leaves and debris danced across the street. I noticed other drivers and passersby frantically searching for the cause of the disturbance. I leapt from my car shouting into the wind, “What’s going on?” But of course, no one knew.
Oh no, are we under a damn alien attack? I thought. What’s next, zombies? I don’t have time for that! Rambling thoughts raced through my mind. Wait, if it is a zombie attack, how important are those chores on my “to do” list? This could actually be the end days. Does anyone really care whether or not I dusted and ran the vacuum? Yea, the grocery run is pretty important, but could clearing the garden wait?
I returned to my car to ponder the impending apocalypse and how I would live should we survive. I’ll focus on the important things. I won’t worry about trivialities like a perfect house or freshly bathed dog. Together my husband, my son and I will take care of business. This latest revelation was almost uplifting. I will survive. I’ll be the toughest zombie killing, alien annihilating, pony tail wearing bada…
I emerged from this toughened reverie to the sounds of horns honking. I shook my head and stared at the world around me. Apparently, the light changed and I was holding up progress. Hmm, looks like rain. Ah, time to go, things to do.
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