“Some Words for the Week”

During my childhood here

in this mountain town

the joke was

you had to plan

your halloween costume

around your winter gear

the coat and pants and boots

all us kids

wearing capes and tutus

and masks and tails

over our gloves and hats

for the snow was waist deep

and the wind was wild

odd those buried peaks

but today it’s almost

that time of year

and I’m grown

and there’s no more snow

I work outside

on October 26th

and it’s seventy degrees

and blue skied

and sunny and beautiful

and I think of this place

not so long ago

and it feels like a dream

those younger years

shuffling through fall snow

nobody knowing

what we were supposed to be

but filling our bags with treats

just the same

Alexander Shalom Joseph is a writer from Gilpin County. He has two published books and one more forthcoming in the Fall of 2022. For more information and to subscribe to Alexander’s Newsletter go to alexandershalomjoseph.com