Unfinished Business
Location
Itchy wool
Green hair
Black tights
A blank stare.
Excessive orange envelops
The tiny frame.
An unresponsive figure reacting to a name.
With a wicked smile
And tiny sneakers tight in hand
She’s ready for the hunt, she hears the band.
Who plays music at this hour of night?
Where is the origin if no one is in sight?
Steered through the doorway by a guiding hand
Allowed to run, scream, play, or hide
The child stands still until urged to walk further
And by this behavior she abides.
Stopping at the first home
She doesn’t understand
Knowing we have never been here before.
Oh look, it’s a strange man.
What is he holding? Is that candy?
Like clockwork the fruit wobbles to the door.
The Jack – o – Lantern drops to the ground with a thud,
Left for dead and thrown away.
Massive stone stairs
Slate paved trail
Form the path to Sugarland today.
Cool evening air
And light misty rain
Slicks grass into a slippery carpet.
Rain masks the struggle of summiting porch steps.
Soon the little girl spots her target.
Mouth begins to water and nose hairs stand on end
As the aroma of cinnamon-apple wafts from the house.
The towering figure cradles a massive glass bowl
Approaching silently as a mouse.
She extends her hand, yearning for the contents;
He fulfills her wish, and she plods back with her take.
Colorful aluminum wrapping drops from small, clammy palms.
She has left a trail signifying conquest in her wake.
A fire is now sparked from within
As eyes grow wide and feet step purposefully
The creature is eager to reap more surprises
The ball of wool clutches her catch tightly in the bin
Encouragement to explore is no longer needed.
When they reach the fifth door,
A familiar sight
A wooden bench comes into view
The girl experiences a sudden wave of fright
And she doesn’t know what to do.
With reckless abandon she dashes away from the scene
Candy continues to plop and fall.
She sees a playground, hides behind the Elephant,
As she crouches she truly becomes a pumpkin ball.
Her speed isn’t great enough to outrun her pursuer.
Bodiless arms swoop down to clutch the runaway
But that is the problem! The fun shouldn’t end
I still want to frolic around and play.
Night is getting older and time is ticking by
The defeated captive resigns to her fate.
Looking up at the sky and then towards the fifth door
She releases a sigh moments too late.
The two enter the house.
The lights are turned on,
Bulbs shining bright as the sun.
Through the window she sees the moon
A familiar and welcome friend
His hour begins while hers is done
He knows the excitement ended all too soon.