Our Ghost Writer at Carpe Diem today is Gary Gay and our inspiration is October as the first full autumn month. I love that that photo chosen with vibrant colours is in Québec and near the Richelieu River where I raised my family.
Gary asks us to “Think outside the Box” when you use Halloween topics. It can be a good source of humour as well. Here is his example of thinking outside the box or misdirection.
My skeleton
going for a walk
in the cemetery © Gary Gay
The poem has a subject of death and yet Gary’s skeleton is still alive.
Here is my attempt in both languages in honour of that lovely autumn photo in Québec dans la Vallée du Richelieu
mains en prière
parlant à GrandPapa,
lui! sait m’écouter
~
hands clasped,
speaking to GrandPapa…
he! truly listens
© Tournesol ’14
Now for a the Halloween theme. Every Halloween I would dress up with my children so neighbours would NOT recognize me. Part of it was the fun of dressing up and walking around incognito and the other reason, I did not want neighbours to favour my children with extra treats. But I DID get treats as well…no one knew if I was man or women…they would talk to me in English to see if I was ME and I’d shrug my shoulders; they would try in French to see if I was the children’s father, and I would shrug again.
One year I dressed up as Count Dracula., with black dye in my short hair slicked back wearing a red lined long black cape. I had the pointy teeth and everything and traces of blood dripping from my lips in each side. As we arrived at the crescent there was a mom with very young children. One little girl looked up at me and started crying. I felt so bad but hugging her would surely have traumatized her more. I never wore scary outfits thereafter and dressed as a hobo the remaining years.
blood stained chin
black cloak blows in autumn wind,
little girl wails
© Tournesol ’14
Tournesol dans un Jardin 
What a beautiful conversation with your grandpapa
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Thanks! Even in real life he always listened:)
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lovely haiku … and as for Halloween, I think you were more trumatized than the child was in the end!
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Thanks, cara…imagine being a ‘mom’ and making a little kid cry just by looking at me.
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Oh, I know what you mean …
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I too still enjoy dressing up and always have a backup costume on hand in case one of the kids needs another for one reason or another. (It’s rained really hard in the middle of trick or treating here and then it turned to snow!)
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Yes, that sucks that the weather also makes is dicey walking steps to houses. Let’s hope for a dry Halloween at least:)
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You get more candy when it’s pouring and they don’t expect more trick-or-treaters though.
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Well there is THAT 😀
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(*laughs*) Which is why having that backup costume was key! That way after it stopped raining and turned into snow, I could go home, dry off, put a new costume on and carry on!
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I always had to get back home for 20 minutes to change into dry boots and warmer gloves.
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My mom always made us wear our winter coats over our costumes if she caught us before we slipped out for the evening.
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Oh no we always wore our winter coats UNDER the costumes…so they had to be extra large:)
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I’m a pirate every year — because it’s the one day of the year I feel “cool” with my prosthetic leg. Kids aren’t sure WHAT to think when they see it — which is kind of funny. Parents appreciate the humor though, which is fun. 🙂
Sweet haiku Tournesol —
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