Outside on the porch
I spied a cereal box Frankenstein
(complete with bed pillow sticking out of a faux hump)
A mummy
(tripping over his own trailing bandages)
And what I think was a skeleton
(before the face paint had been smudged into a charcoal blur)

As I forked over fistfuls of caramels and chocolates and gum
A question for these savvy veterans:
Had anyone ever opted for ‘trick’?

The mummy went mute
And the skeleton shot Frankenstein a nervous look

‘Well’, he replied
(while readjusting the hump and matter-of-factly inserting a fourth piece of gum into his mouth)
‘Only once. A place out on Hudson Avenue…
The guy told us he wouldn’t give us treats.
He wanted a trick, see…
SO THAT’S WHEN I TOLD JIMMY TO RUN HOME AND FETCH THE MONSTER’

Suddenly, the mummy gifted Frankenstein a hard elbow to ribs-
The bolted creature recoiled
Almost spat his gum before recovering, compliant-
“Um yeah… But Dad told us we aren’t allowed to talk about that no more.’

With that, the little monsters hastily secured their loot
And made for the next house down the road

Peering after them through the parlor curtains
I envied and feared them, all at once

Pondering the monster, pondering their fun
Pondering the horror once wreaked
On Halloween night

By three sugar-addicted kids

On Hudson Avenue

Ezy Reading is out every month.