Surreal Small Town Halloween& Tree poem

Years ago, shortly after we moved into a small town in Ga, we took our kids trick or treating on Halloween. On the street where we lived, the houses were few and far between so we drove to the area of town where there was an actual neighborhood where they could trick or treat. Everything was going ok until my older son, who has downs and autism, spotted a dog and got scared. He is afraid of dogs. So I took him back to the car where my husband was waiting. I then proceeded to take my younger son who also has autism, around the neighborhood. He was having a good time and the weather was nice. It was getting to that moment when dusk starts turning into early evening, and the sky was a beautiful pinkish orange. It had almost a magical quality.

My husband and other son continued to wait for us in the car as my son and I visited houses. We came to one small white house where a very nice older lady greeted us and after she offered candy and invited us in to visit for a minute. I didn't feel like it was too weird since the culture is very different in small towns-people you've never met before say hi to you for no reason lol (I had to get used to that but I liked it.) Plus my husband was right outside in the car. I figured not too much could go wrong. So we went inside and we visited with her and her cat, who was recovering from an injury and had a cone around his neck. Somehow I felt very at ease and we talked for a bit and she said to me, "Don't worry about your kids they will be ok." The thing was I hadn't talked about my kids except to say my other son was in the car. And other than my son being quiet, there was nothing to indicate he had autism. I quietly said thank you and we left shortly after. The way she said her words made me feel like they would be ok for their whole life, and I wondered how she could be sure of it.

I took him to a few more houses and we went to some that were super fun, like one that had candy laid out in a spooky graveyard. And another where upon opening the door, the lady replied tersely "we're not trick or treating." My son quickly asked me why the woman was mean. I told him that some people don't celebrate Halloween, but she could have been nicer.

In any case it was a mostly fun night. And an interesting one.





Spooky Tree In The Dark


Branches crackling with the wind
it stands on barren ground
Beckoning on owl magnetically
a lure without a sound

The moon is a vibrant backdrop
stately oak etched in its light
The stars twinkle in the cool air
loving the glorious night

There is something magic
about the tree in the dark
It is spooky, it is majestic
in the quiet, leafy park.