4 thoughts on “”

  1. .

    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)

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