Trick or Treat

At Halloween, you wax poetic

on roaming packs of kids frenetic

trick or treating, gorging chocolate,

razor blades be damned. You'd walk

and run and roam the streets,

bands of ghouls on tireless feet,

laughing, shrieking, no cell phone

so no one told you to come home.

Now you watch your kids. No daring,

urging them to please be caring.

Don’t slip & fall! Please & thank-you

no matter what those people gave you,

thanks for pencils, teensy toys--

act like you are overjoyed.

Be polite, please, and be safe.

On sidewalks, parents congregate

Hovering over progeny,

protecting them from everything.

Meet your neighbors on Halloween!

Friendly chatter, then never seen

again until this time next year.

You’ll re-introduce then, never fear.

Retreat into your house again,

reflect on childhood now, and then.

Re-sharing this truthy poem from a couple years back. Happy Halloween!