trick-or-treating
the warmth
of the skeleton’s hand
Published by
Michelle Schaefer
Michelle Schaefer is a member and current President of Haiku Northwest in the Seattle area. She has been published in Frogpond, Acorn and Modern Haiku. She lives in Bothell Washington where she finds inspiration for writing and living.
View all posts by Michelle Schaefer
4 thoughts on “”
Love it, Michelle! Seasonal, and creepy good fun. Also, what Halloween is all about. Thanks!
trick-or-treating
the warmth
of the skeleton’s hand
—MICHELLE SCHAEFER
Delightful, if we assume the skeleton is a costume of course. :-)
I've never shaken hands with a skeleton, even while on an official training day at a morgue, or the time we had a hand in formaldehyde waiting for prints to be able to lift.
I love the line order, where we have trick or treating which can be harmless fun or a deadly prank. And then the warmth of the hand suggests someone who doesn't have the heart to do a nasty version of a prank, or perhaps the house-holder had plenty of bribes.
It's sad that hand contact for some of us is a no-go during Covid-19 restrictions. The last time I shook hands was with someone who insisted despite the coming pandemic. It was in late February 2020, and privately, out of sight, I had to quickly get out an antiseptic wipe.
I now welcome the namaste welcomes that I loved so much in India, that could be more common in the UK, or a simple hand across our heart. In exceptional conditions, once the plague has been dealt with in a few years, perhaps again I'll shake hands if held out in a friendly connecting manner.
*
allhallowmas…
the goblins go back
into their books
Alan Summers
Anthology: Haiku Friends 2 ed. Masaharu Hirata (Osaka, Japan 2007)
Love it, Michelle! Seasonal, and creepy good fun. Also, what Halloween is all about. Thanks!
I love this so much; thank you.
Love this too, it’s just sweet!
October night
dead leaves rush towards me
tinywords|30 October 2007
.
trick-or-treating
the warmth
of the skeleton’s hand
—MICHELLE SCHAEFER
Delightful, if we assume the skeleton is a costume of course. :-)
I've never shaken hands with a skeleton, even while on an official training day at a morgue, or the time we had a hand in formaldehyde waiting for prints to be able to lift.
I love the line order, where we have trick or treating which can be harmless fun or a deadly prank. And then the warmth of the hand suggests someone who doesn't have the heart to do a nasty version of a prank, or perhaps the house-holder had plenty of bribes.
It's sad that hand contact for some of us is a no-go during Covid-19 restrictions. The last time I shook hands was with someone who insisted despite the coming pandemic. It was in late February 2020, and privately, out of sight, I had to quickly get out an antiseptic wipe.
I now welcome the namaste welcomes that I loved so much in India, that could be more common in the UK, or a simple hand across our heart. In exceptional conditions, once the plague has been dealt with in a few years, perhaps again I'll shake hands if held out in a friendly connecting manner.
*
allhallowmas…
the goblins go back
into their books
Alan Summers
Anthology: Haiku Friends 2 ed. Masaharu Hirata (Osaka, Japan 2007)