It patiently waits

For this time of year

When bright orange pumpkins

Make children cheer

When porches come alive

With spiders and bats

And feet are wiped

On trick or treat mats

Watching from above

As the children play

Is an old spooky tree

On a fine autumn day

The kids stare

At its skeletal branches

They swear it’s cursed

Long ago enchanted

But the tree simply smiles

Embracing its truth,

“I’m just a spooky tree

Lacking the beauty of my youth.”