I

he called her ‘pumpkin’
as she carried a candle for him

that her head was orange,
fleshy and too big for her body
were further contributory factors

II

that Halloween,
being poor,
she just wore
a haunted expression
upon her face
and the ghost of a smile
on her lips

but everyone was more impressed
with Darren’s Freddy Krueger razor glove

III

on his final halloween
Colin decided to go,
not as a phantom,
but a pumpkin lantern

he had scooped out
half his head
before he realised
he was dead