Harvest Halloween

Posted on 2025-10-13 by Bartholomew Barker

All the husky, rusty tossels of the corn
have been rustled into the barn.
Harvest done, we dress up and load up
into a wood-paneled station wagon
bound for town.

Witches, princesses, plenty of ghosts,
a Frankenstein’s Monster and one girl
stuffed like a pillow into three balls
of white with a big floppy hat—
a snowman carrying a bag full of candy,

beckoning winter.

(My latest collaboration with the folks at Mebane Ridge after reading some autumn and Halloween poetry. We pretty much stole the first line from James Whitcomb Riley.)

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About Bartholomew Barker

Bartholomew Barker is an organizer of Living Poetry, a collection of poets in the Triangle region of North Carolina where he has hosted a monthly feedback workshop for more than decade. His first poetry collection, Wednesday Night Regular, written in and about strip clubs, was published in 2013. His second, Milkshakes and Chilidogs, a chapbook of food inspired poetry was served in 2017. He was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2021. Born and raised in Ohio, studied in Chicago, he worked in Connecticut for nearly twenty years before moving to Hillsborough where he lives and writes poetry.
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12 Responses to Harvest Halloween

  1. byngnigel's avatar byngnigel says:
    2025-10-14 at 02:12

    Wonderful.. 🤭

    Liked by 1 person

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  2. berniebell1955's avatar berniebell1955 says:
    2025-10-14 at 03:47

    ‘Beckoning Winter’ Nice one!

    Liked by 1 person

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  3. mitchteemley's avatar mitchteemley says:
    2025-10-14 at 06:41

    Charmingly evocative.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. Kirsten Curcio's avatar Kirsten Curcio says:
    2025-10-14 at 10:27

    I can see this all. Very cute, Bart! 🤗

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  5. poetisatinta's avatar poetisatinta says:
    2025-10-14 at 12:22

    I like the subtle contrast between the rural harvest and the onset of wintery Halloween🦇

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. JeanMarie's avatar JeanMarie says:
    2025-10-14 at 20:56

    Nostalgic. Nice one.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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