All Hallow's Eve
Poem - by Rosalie Hendon
Physiologically, fear and excitement are both forms of arousal.
Wax pools on the mantle
thick and opaque
Candles gutter in the still air
We are expectant, hushed
Unspoken questions on our lips–
what next?
A ouija board?
A commune with the dead?
Eyes meet and look away
Fingertips brush
Wine on our tongues
Electricity, anticipation
coursing through veins
The wind howls
We shiver
draw closer
shoulders huddled together
hands hesitant
extending (self-consciously)
to find each other’s
Circle formed
fingers linked
Pulses fluttering together
We want to see what happens
and we’re terrified