the thinning veil
of all hallow’s eve
is here,

the monsters are
coming
ready-or-not;

candy, masks, masquerades;
but also vampires, werewolves,
and shapeshifters:
oh my!

not to mention the goblins,
the swamp things,
banshees ready to wail,
and all the things
without names
ready to come out and lurk
in the dark recesses
of nature and your mind—

happy haunting from every
ghost and ghoul!
-linda m. crate

immortal soul 

you are my forbidden fruit,

the one everyone says you 

ought to avoid;

but i want to take a bite

let your juice run down my hands—

watch every sacred temple

of my name 

stained in a new light,

and i know not everyone 

will appreciate the color;

but life is too short

& 

i want to know the magic

and the warmth 

of your love—

so i break open my bones,

my heart is a missive

singing every harmony you

could need;

and i’ll carry your secrets 

forever in this immortal

soul.

enjoy the ride
life itself feels like
a masquerade
sometimes,

i feel like when i open
my eyes sometimes
i should still be four years
old picking blackberries
with mama;

how did i close my eyes
at twenty,
waking up when i was
forty?

seems unreal how fast
time can go by,

we wanted to be grown
so quickly;
i wish i could go back in
time and dance at a masquerade ball—

get kissed underneath the moonlit
velvet sky,
glittering with stars;

i wish i could tell that girl to enjoy the ride.