The Boogeyman

It's a cool Autumn night

Like honeycrisp apples.

The kind of night where when you take a bite

It crunches and your teeth feel cold at first

And it's juicy...the juice runs from your mouth

You have to wipe it away with the back of your hand

And you pull your coat in a little tighter.

The night swells up in your jaw

Tart and puckery

You can't wait to finish

So that you can take another bite.

I am lost in the Fall flavor.

I met the Boogeyman tonight.

We strolled together for a bit

Shook hands and split in opposite directions.

Before we parted

He looked at me

With his fucked up gnarley teeth

And yellow eyes

And he said

"Kid...You're gonna be alright"

I told him

"It's too early to wish you a Happy Halloween”...

“I better see you later so that I can do so properly".

And he replied

"Wouldn't miss it for anything!"

And then as he wiped up some drool

From a dead apple

Perhaps a winesap

With the back of his hand

He said

"See you later then"

And he shuffled away laughing a graveyard laugh

Into the dark

Leaving behind the Autumn smell

Of a freshly eaten apple

And potent raw sewage.