Why Costumes Don’t Scare Me
My father. His brother.
My mother who pretended
nothing bad was happening.
The boys who beat me
because I couldn’t pretend
they had anything I needed.
The girls who shamed me
for not being straight,
or hated me for my courage.
When you know how monsters
and demons truly look and feel,
the last day of October is a treat.
[after an unattributed, circa 1930 photograph of Halloween costumes, seen at
3 thoughts on "Why Costumes Don’t Scare Me"
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Brilliant as always, Lennart.
Thanks, Kevin. Drawing on the experiences of anonymous friends over the years.
So much said in so few words!