candy corn

a highly selective childhood memory

scarlet lipstick and rouge

a child in harlots’ pose

baggy raggedy ol’ man pants

with painted on mustache

children under an october moon

awash in dingy street light

chewing mounds and tootsie rolls

we traded charms for lifesavers

and fancied ourselves pirates

gunslingers, pimps, streetwalkers

walked the street avoiding shadows

ghouls slithering from doorways,

hulking brutish night creatures

jonesin’ for a hit lookin’ for a vic

insatiable fiends of ghetto pleasures

mashin’ for a ration in the dark

and we sat on cold concrete steps

eating candy corn treats

together we stayed in the light

denying the devil his booty

our best trick on a harlem halloween.

Reviews

[Everett DeValle]

Wow, loved the language...has this old school feel to it, that I love. A very cool poem. Thanks for sharing.

[Birdman313]

a good halloween poem ,,,