Happy Halloween

I have lost my childhood
In a way
Seemingly instant
That hits me as I lay
On a bed
I wish was made of clay.
Because then I would be able to mold it
And shape it
Into something more
Than I’ll ever be.
You see
I have lost my childhood
With the snap of my fingers
And a realization
That at this moment
I could care less about Halloween
Rather, I am overcome with the want
To become unseen
To fade into the shadows
And to work
Until my legs give out.
I am wreathed I’m desire
To sleep
Instead of watch scary movies
And plan the perfect level
of costume creep,
I would rather dress in a bathrobe
And tell people “I’m tired”
When they ask
Than put in the effort
To put on a mask.
My childhood is gone
And with it
My ambition
My fire.
I want it back
And at the same time
Cannot grasp
Cannot grapple with the fact
That my childhood is over
And my adulthood has not begun
I am somewhere in between
But I know I am nowhere fun.
Take me to the times

When a witch’s dress would do
When all I needed
Was a friend or two
To haunt the night with
As we aim to scare our way
Into bags full of candies and sweets.
Take me back
To a time when costumes
We’re merely something
You could slip into.
And not something you wore
Day in and day out
When it was only one night a year
When you were something
You’re not.
The urge
To go back in time
And slip on a costume
For what I now realize
Will now be the last time.

About the Author

CC Cervantes Dunn is an Honors freshman majoring in neuroscience with a minor in creative.