The days are growing shorter,
And the air is crisp and clean.
The costumes in the attic
All come out. It's Halloween.

The candy sales are brisk.
Store owners rub their hands with glee.
The dentists will be busy
In a few months. Wait and see.

The kids put down their video games
To traipse the busy streets,
Dressed up in wild disguises
All in search for tricks or treats.

And there'll be jack-o'-lanterns
Staring at you through the night,
Their eyes and noses, smiles or frowns
Lit up by candlelight.

And when those costumed urchins
Finish up this yearly task,
And carry home their diabetic
Bounty and unmask,

They'll sit around a cozy fire
As some adult unveils
The scary ghosts and goblins
In those spooky fireside tales.

And when those hyper children
Come down from their sugar highs,
And make their way upstairs to bed
As they all fantasize,

They'll wonder, when they're sleeping,
Will they hear the banshee screams,
Or will the headless horseman
Be there riding through their dreams?