The little fairy princess whines at every door,
the little snot, and would just as soon whap you
with that wand as say anything nice. But she’s cute, huh?
You wouldn’t believe how seriously
the little astronaut actually does want
to escape the gravity of earth, his house, his life.
The fierce, roaring tyrannosaurus rex
will come home and share his candy
because he doesn’t like to see his little sister cry.
The scary witch says “Trick or treat” in her scariest voice
but it’s not as scary to her as her father.
The regal king, crown and everything,
hopes nobody from school sees him
because he knows they don’t like him.
For the little six year old girl Supreme Court justice,
it’s not a costume. She’s practicing.
The marauding pirate
doesn’t really want to be there;
he’s an extreme introvert.
He just does this to make Dad happy.
There’s plenty of candy at home.
The zombie with one eye will drop
his bloody axe and fall asleep
on his mommy’s lap tonight,
one gentle arm around her neck.
Dad, standing out in the shadows,
watches the monsters and superheroes
and thinks about the office,
how these kids are just pretending to pretend;
only when they grow up will they
get serious about it.
__________________
Steve Garnaas-Holmes
Unfolding Light
www.unfoldinglight.net
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