Our Halloween Costume Conflict

Mom would ask, when I was wee,
“What is it that you’d like to be?
A happy clown, or fuzzy bear?”
I’d fix her with an icy stare.

“Mommy, no!” I would protest.
“I want stab wounds in my chest!
Make me ugly, make me mean!
Don’t you know it’s Halloween?”

“My dear child”, she would ensue,
“Scary things just don’t suit you.
Your face is sweet, showcase your smile.
Cinderella’s more your style.”

Was she mad?  It made no sense.
Princesses are not intense.
“I want blood and lots of gore.
Nothing from a kiddy store!”

To this day we disagree,
on which costume best suits me.
But bet your boots; now that I’m grown,
and make such choices on my own:

Not in HELL would I be seen...in frilly lace on Halloween!

Written October 11, 2001