Masquerade at Midnight

The doorbell rings like a spell being cast,

Pumpkins grin wide as the first guests arrive.

Witches in velvet and pirates from the past

Spill through the doorway, laughing, alive.

A vampire pours punch the color of dusk,

A skeleton rattles its plastic bones.

Someone in scales claims to be a kraken’s husk,

While a ghost drifts past with soft, floating tones.

Fairy lights flicker like fireflies trapped,

Cobwebs of cotton cling soft to the walls.

A werewolf howls (then politely adapts)

As the playlist shifts and the dance floor calls.

Masks hide secrets and sparkle with glee,

Capes swirl and sequins catch every glow.

For one wild night no one has to be

Anyone other than who they bestow.

When the clock strikes late and the candles burn low,

Costumes are shed with a satisfied sigh.

But the magic lingers, a soft afterglow—

Of laughter, of friendship, of Halloween high.