As I’m trying to plan some Halloween fun for my kids to compensate for this year’s lack of trick-or-treating, I keep reminiscing about prior Halloweens.  If the Ghost of Halloween Past were to visit me—to remind me of what we may someday get back to during a less “batty” year, surely, not to instill Dickensian remorse—I expect I’d see something of the following:

• Touring the Winchester Mystery House in college, armed with a flashlight, my face painted like a cat thanks to an artistic friend.
• Going with my husband, middle sister, and brother-in-law to watch the Oregon Symphony perform the score to The Nightmare Before Christmas while the film played on a screen over the orchestra.
• The recent years of alternating between taking my kids trick-or-treating and handing out candy, plus seeing all the fun costumes roaming the neighborhood.

Sigh.  I trust the Ghost of Halloween Future has plenty of fun in store. 

Now for some good news, though still related to things dark and monstrous:  I have a new poem up at Sidequest.  “Nightmarens” came about when I was thinking about the bosses from the game NiGHTS: Into Dreams, and my mind filled with words describing them.  I saw their carnival colors and their exaggerated body parts designed to incite fear, since they rule the domain of nightmares.  But they’ve always been my favorite part of the game.  I couldn’t think of them without fondness.  For this poem, I purposely wanted to strain my voice outside of my comfort zone.  I wanted dense prose, a strong style that could stand up to those titular characters.