Awash in a purple and green fluorescent glow,

Stark walls that stand tall in the low-hanging dark of an October night.

White faces that flicker inside,

Mouths pulsating with LED candlelight.

A semblance of something I can't quite decipher.

Just flashes of creatures who know how to hide.

She rides back and forth, back and forth.

Her horse hidden and hollow.

Eyes flashing red, she jerks forward.

It's a little unnerving, a little perverse.

Cobwebs and shadows.

Phosphorescent glimmers.

Skulls, spiders, ghosts.

Skeletons that have never been thinner.

Beauty and The Beast twirl and twerk.

Cinderella stands listless, hiking her skirt.

Wigs, dark eyes, fake blood.

Blacklight dances off bare backs, painted skin.

A party at the castle for those who are in

A mood to revel and writhe with goblins, demons, and fiends.

And yes please!

I will absolutely take some wine with that cheese.

I wander Tooth and Nail, up the stairs, outside.

Then back down I stride to find more at the bar.

What comes next, I don't quite understand.

A leather jacket with strands, bleached jeans,

A hairy chest with no tan.

Dark glasses, a cowboy hat, a glass of wine in his hand.

All of a sudden, it's time to move on,

Last call, and now, they're playing that song.

Grab one final pour.

But get out.

Summon that Uber.

Head to the next place you can shout.

Greeted beyond the Paso Event Center's metal gate,

A pumpkin is perched 10-feet in the air,

Eyes gleaming orange, vengeful with hate.

But first came the pink wigs and blush-colored feathers.

A pair of twins in fishnet stockings and ears.

The stretch of rosy corsets pulled tight above their rears.

Through tall pumpkin-head legs, we enter

And who do we see?

A mummy, a witch, the Rocketeer, and creepy Alice.

Drinks to the left, dance floor in the center;

A medieval stretcher, electric chair, and the gallows

It's finally time to stretch my legs in the hallows

To cavort and wiggle

With others who frolic and jiggle.

Bunny hop, boogie down, cut a rug

Spin, tango, and jitterbug

Contort my arms and my legs

With a clatter, a hustle, a tug

I pull my friends toward the stage

We let loose and rage.

As the night closes

We quickly strike poses.

Pumpkin head hovering above

We laugh, we make plans,

This year we get two chances to primp, preen, and pretend

That we can be something different than we normally are

Halloween comes twice

When Oct. 31 hits a Wednesday,

A weekend on both sides to get down and play. Δ

Editor Camillia Lanham kind of loves Halloween. Send comments to clanham@newtimesslo.com.