Back then on Halloween,
way back when on Halloween.
We wore cheap, plastic masks,
cartoon faces with holes for eyes,
held on with a metal-tipped elastic string
that your brother would pull and snap.
Back then on Halloween,
way back when on Halloween.
Suddenly we were transformed
into Casper the Friendly Ghost
or Mickey Mouse or an ugly monster thing
wearing a backwards baseball cap.
Back then on Halloween,
way back when on Halloween.
It was hard to breathe, and we could barely see,
but we couldn't wait to taste the treats
our costume tricks would bring
after we canvassed the neighborhood lap.
Back then on Halloween,
way back when on Halloween.
We scuffed our way through the leaves,
following the trail of porch lights,
glowing yellow on our street.
Back then on Halloween,
way back when on Halloween.
Ringing doorbells and knocking on doors,
we traipsed through the shadows,
begging our neighbors for something sweet.
Back then on Halloween,
way back when on Halloween.
After an hour or so we'd make our way back home
lugging our bags full of candy loot.
Mom would have hot cocoa waiting for us,
and we'd be glad to get in from the cold and off our feet.
Back then on Halloween,
way back when on Halloween.
We'd eat Halloween candy for days
trading Tootsie Rolls and bulls-eye caramels
and black and orange peanut butter kisses
for Mary Janes and Bit-o-Honeys.
Back then on Halloween,
way back when on Halloween.
We could hardly believe that all that candy was ours
just for wearing something silly and saying,
"Trick-or-treat! Trick-or-treat! Trick-or-treat!"
Back then on Halloween,
way back when on Halloween.
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One of my neighbors has this cute
scarecrow by their front steps.
Happy Halloween, everyone!
What a cute poem. Brings back good memories. John's mother loved Mary Janes and would TAKE all of theirs!!!
ReplyDeleteHahaha! Well, I suppose that's a mother's prerogative, Mildred. Those Mary Janes are pretty good. :D
DeleteLovely. Brought back memories of the feel of the sweaty inside of a store-bought mask. :-)
ReplyDeletePearl
Thanks, Pearl! I always got my hair caught up in that elastic string too! :-)
DeleteAh yes! We could hardly see or breathe! LOL!
ReplyDeleteLinda, I can remember peering out from those masks and trying to see where the porch steps were when we went out. It was pretty easy to stumble over things in the dark with such a restricted view!
DeleteWasn't it fun 'way back there on Halloween'???? I had such a great time on Halloween as a teen. Our little town celebrated it for 3 days/nights: Two days before we had "Corn" Night---we'd sprinkle uncooked popcorn all over the sidewalks downtown; THEN--One night before, we had "Soap" Night --where we'd write all over the downtown windows (along the old shopping area); Then it was Trick or Treat on Halloween Night... SO much fun!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Betsy
Betsy, I've never heard of corn night! The only soaping done when we were kids, was when some of the kids would soap the windows of the houses where people didn't give out candy. We were never allowed to do it, but some of the other kids did it. TPing the trees was done a lot then too.
DeleteExcellent Daisy, you walked me down memory lane... some really nice Halloween memories;-) ... Thank you
ReplyDeleteThanks, Launna. I have good memories of the fun I had with my brother and sister on Halloween too. :-)
DeleteThis was so cute!! I'm older than most of your readers and I only remember going trick or treating one time when I was a teen. But my girls had those masks you described. We usually don't have many kids come here; too far out and not many little ones in the community.
ReplyDeleteCharlotte, I grew up in a subdivision that was kind of stuck out in the middle of nowhere with a lot of cornfields and farms around us. There were quite a few of us kids in the subdivision, though, so I was lucky to get to participate in Trick-or-treat night. Some of my friends from school lived too far out in the country for them to be able to go.
DeleteI could picture all this and almost taste the candy. I remember losing my front tooth on a Sugar Daddy candy on a stick. Our neighbors and relatives and school teachers welcomed all us little beggars, bless their hearts!
ReplyDeleteSugar Daddy candy--yes! I remember those too, Karen. Those were very chewy and sticky. So much of the Halloween candy we had was the kind that stuck to your teeth. :D
DeleteI miss Trick or Treaters. My home is isolated - would be hard to find. Enjoyed this in lieu of the real deal.
ReplyDeleteReenie, Trick-or-treat was scheduled to be here this past weekend. We had candy bought and at the ready and had our lights on, but no kids came around. I don't know if there just aren't kids in this area, or if maybe they all went to some community party or something. I was surprised and a little disappointed not to have any Trick-or-treaters come to the door.
DeleteLovely to read this post. Moved the memories it evoked.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kelly! I hope you are having a good week. :-)
DeleteThat brings back gleeful memories, though I never got hot cocoa upon returning home. That was a nice touch.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the fun poem, Daisy.
Happy Halloween.
xoRobyn
Thank you, Robyn! I grew up in Ohio, and Halloween night was (is!) almost always cold. It would also often be raining or even snowing--although snow was rare that early in the year. The hot cocoa was a special treat from my mom. :)
DeleteOh the memories this wonderful, lyrical poem tirggered. In our town, it is a tradition that children must really "trick" before the grown-ups "treat". They have to tell a joke or riddle. As much fon for the adults as the kids.
ReplyDeleteThat does sound like fun, Linda! We never did that. The "trick" part for us was that if someone didn't pass out candy, we could trick them by soaping their windows or throwing toilet paper in their trees. My brother, sister, and I were never allowed to do that. In fact, more than once my parents had us kids go to my neighbor's house (they were teachers) the day after Halloween to clean up the toilet paper in their yard that other kids had strewn there. They did pass out candy, but I think because they were teachers, their house was "hit" every year.
DeleteOh I have such fun memories of trick or treating as a child!
ReplyDeleteMe too, Terri. We looked forward to it every year! :)
DeleteAwww, this is so cute. Brought back a lot of memories for me . Happy Halloween Daisy.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Susie! Have a good weekend! :-)
DeleteAnd those are what we now refer to as "the good old days" when we had more fun as kids.
ReplyDeleteYes, so true, Beatrice. :-)
Delete