Samhain and Beyond

We stand in hallowed doorways, hand in hand,

hallway light spilling out onto pavement traffic,

small fingers summoned to fumble in buckets,

treats countering tricks, a sea of sanguine smiles.

Nocturnal bat wings flap unobtrusively overhead,

stoical belfries watch stone gargoyles spout rain,

carved pumpkins illuminate porches, fired grins,