Halloween 2020

 ‘Neath the Blue Moon

Silhouettes dance

‘Round the fire

In a trance

Holding hands

Up high then low

Swaying always to and fro

Chant so slow 

Then pick up speed

Calling, calling

Happy Halloween!

I almost missed Halloween, like so many of this year’s special days it doesn’t feel special.  I do put out some decorations and get some little goody bags ready just in case any trick or treaters Caine to the door. This year not too many in my neighborhood are participating, if I go by how many houses have their outside light in. We’re the only house on the street with the light on.  On a normal Halloween we get maybe 7 trick or treaters. It’s so strange! When my girls were young the neighborhood was teeming with children of all ages. We mothers took the younger kids around and the fathers stayed home to give out the candy. When the kids were a little older either one or two mothers or fathers wrangled a group, or someone’s older sibling was tapped to supervise. Those were good times, I remember them fondly. Just as I remember trick or treating as a child with my brothers. There was one house that we went to first, where friends of my mother lived. They lived about 3 houses up the hill on the opposite side of the street. They were an older, childless couple who had a miniature white poodle named “Susie” who my younger brother and I spent time playing with while our mother visited with them. Their names were Ethel and Shorty. On Halloween they always had full sized Hershey bars for us, smaller bars for other kids. It was nice to feel special like that.  My older brothers took us out around the block, I don’t ever remember my parents taking us around. My mother handed out the candy to the kids who came to our door. I kind of miss those days, too.

There’s no doubt that this year, because of the pandemic, many things are very different from what we’re used to. I wonder if one day we’ll look back at these things that are so different and miss them. In some ways they are quieter and leave time for more introspection. Perhaps we’ll miss that aspect. It remains to be seen.