It is Oct. 31, Halloween night. All the witches and ghosts and demon spirits are in the house. A knock comes on the door: Trick-or-treat. I will give you a treat if you do a trick. A real live orange pumpkin man lights up and someone says, “Happy Halloween.” Welcome to our musician show. All the children get scared, they say don’t scare me, just give me candy, cookies, sweets, and Halloween apples.
We can play a game. Hide and go seek. You go find the apples. Halloween can be education, too. Their Halloween costumes were doctors, lawyers, police, and firefighters. It’s Halloween night, the harvest moon is full, but all the children disappear. When the parents come, all the children are gone. Treat or tricks.
I enjoy and look forward to Halloween. It’s one of my favorite holidays. Free candy! And seeing the joy of kids running around, being excited about getting candy, their reactions to the houses and costumes. It’s got a little spook to it. Markquelle will be excited this year. No stroller! But I may try to find one, because he’s gonna fall asleep. He’s gonna wear The Hulk costume. He said he’s gonna be “Smashin’ through the streets.”
Ghosts and goblins, tents and rents,
Scary masks cover our politicians,
who bulldoze residents,
and remove their tents.
How can we help our unhoused find a solution?
Candy from strangers, who
are under the costume.
Government meetings being
held over Zoom.
Permanent supportive housing
or rapid re(housing)?
Been in the street so long,
caused a major tragedy.
Trash is a mess when
sleeping in the streets.
The shelters are bad,
bed bugs in the sheets.
Soup from the food trucks,
applesauce in pouches.
People denied government vouchers.
Feeling safe sleeping in the streets,
fear of being housed in Southeast.
Danger is bad,
my mental health is sad.
I’d rather die in a sleeping bag,
shouting and screaming, and
causing a scene.
I wish I could be,
the mayor for Halloween.
Most people think that Halloween is a pagan holiday. But Halloween started with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. In that festival, people made bonfires and wore costumes to ward off ghosts, according to History.com. Later, All Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain — even before it was known as All Hallows Eve, later Halloween. The Europeans had October Fest, which was a festival of harvest.
Lots of people enjoy Halloween, especially children. But adults love to dress up, too. When I was a kid, I made it a three-day holiday. The first night trick night, the second beg for candy, and the last fell on the real holiday. This worked out well until my mother found out and made it a one-night affair.
Yes, I love Halloween every year. I like to imagine me, and Sybil will both dress up like Batgirl and Batman one year. Or that my friend Thomas and I will play spooky tricks on people.
Growing up, when I went out at night to get my Halloween candy, there wasn’t any violence that night ever in the state of Maryland.
I used to say Halloween was a very, very spooky night. Now, let us go trick or treat everybody!
And I love all of you that I get to know through Street Sense every day.
