We Celebrate Different

The stores swarm long before the season truly arrives.

We’re filling our carts in September—apple cobbler Martha Stewart candles,

black swans, and bath towels with pumpkins on them.

All kinds of pumpkins;

brass pumpkins,

porcelain pumpkins,

wicker pumpkins—

a pumpkin for everyone.

Then come the cinnamon broomsticks,

enriching every home with their signature scent—

a whisper that fall has finally arrived.

Now, the skulls come off the mantles,

the carved jack-o’-lanterns are lifted from porches,

their smiles softening, caving inward,

the chill in the air turning them to a now memory of the past.

DIY Linen pinterest ghosts are now boxed away til next years autumn moment.

The lawn blow molds trade Frankenstein’s grin for Rudolph’s bright nose.

Every door now bears a wreath with a red bow.

Elves on shelves begin the countdown.

The cold bites first thing in the morning—

you feel it in your marrow, but you welcome it.

You stand under a hot shower just to move again,

the frigid wind still holding you captive.

But we welcome it,

because it pushes us forward.

It’s a different day.

And we celebrate different.