Katie Pumpkinhead’s Pumpkin Patch

 I spend much of my life counting down the days until Halloween. And yet, when it comes as close as it is now, there’s a certain heaviness and sadness that comes with it, that makes me wish it would slow down, and that the season would last just a little bit longer. I don’t know if Halloween has ever really been about one specific day for me, even as a child. Yes, I always looked forward to the actual day of, to the point of once being told by my father to “stop wishing his weekend away” when it fell on a Sunday, but there was always more to it than that, even if I didn't have any specific plans leading up to Halloween itself. It was about the world being alive with autumn colors, the decorations on neighbors’ lawns and on long car rides. Just a general feeling in the air that wasn’t fully discernible during any other time of year. I tried to write a poem about it once. I don’t remember the specifics, and I don’t really know whether I should wish I still had the notebooks that cont...

 Halloween is less than a week away. This is a truly exciting time, but I also can’t help but be sad when I think about the fact that, a week from today, Halloween will be over. Post-Halloween depression is something I’ve always struggled with. It hits me hard every year, once Halloween night’s festivities are done. Even as a young child I referred to November 1st as “the day of despair”. Clearance sales make it slightly more bearable in adulthood, but nothing really takes away the pain of knowing Halloween is gone for another year once November arrives. In recent years, though, I often catch myself falling into a pre -Halloween depression as well. There is a period of time, during late October, when looking forward to the actual day of Halloween, blends with knowing the season is just about done.  If you love Halloween, you probably know the time I’m talking about. You can’t take two steps toward a fleck of orange you see in the distance at any major retail store without trip...