Poetry | Mid-October Scaries

The sun falls back into hibernation 

And the blue skies fade to gray 

Winter is just around the corner 

As midterms take way 

It’s no coincidence that Halloween celebrates death 

As spirits escape from our weary chests

The smell of fried brains fills Hillman Library 

All in an attempt to survive those midterm tests 

And in the dead of night 

Sleep-deprived zombies trek through South Oakland streets 

Mumbling exam terms and phrases 

Which is all they remember how to speak 

Halloween isn’t the true source 

Of screams during this treacherous exam week 

It’s the possibility of failing a course 

That really makes us all shriek 

When you’re young you fear ghosts and goblins 

With the naive mind that it can’t get much worse

Back then you had no idea 

That midterms are the spookiest Halloween curse