Halloween in Suburbia-a poem

halloween in suburbia

i live in a privileged,

"white" neighborhood

and it was halloween.

i opened the door

in five-minute intervals

for caramel-skinned children

with endless brown eyes.

their mothers hovered behind,

smiling deferentially at me

not speaking english,

and

not from my part of town.

i wanted to be cynical,

i wanted to tell them to trick-or-treat

in their own neighborhoods.

i felt like such a snob.

i couldn't figure out

why it bothered me,

seeing these smiling, beautiful faces.

i didn't know why i was bothered,

and then i did.

seeing them reminded me

that there are children

living in neighborhoods

in which it is not safe to trick-or-treat.

seeing them reminded me

that i couldn't help them.

all i could do

was look into their mother's faces

and try to tell them

with my eyes

that their children are safe

for at least one night.

~jacw 11/1/15