from the poem-a-day project I'm still doing with MES.

I have always hated the day after Halloween
it feels like the Circus has left town
leaving nothing but dirt on the ground
and those long months of winter ahead.
All the trees are suddenly bare of their
many-colored leaves, turned to mulch and slop
pushed off into gutters along with all the
empty candy wrappers and broken masks and
there's nothing now but memories of summer and
the bitter after-taste of all that sweet anticipation
once again, come to naught.