I met a girl on Halloween
She was lost and I was drunk
And it was dark and cold out
When we left
And as we walked the rain started
The leaves softened with every step
And all around us people slept
Alone with their dreams
The wind came down from up the plains
And blew the leaves all through the streets
I wondered how far leaves
Could really fly
Would they rest in suburb yards?
Or make it to the city?
Or would they end up in the river
Just to float away?
She pointed to a small brick house
And said it was where she grew up
The lights were out
She asked if we could stop for a while
Her hair was still just getting wet
The water running down her neck
Collecting in the handprint in cement
Beneath her feet
Apparently there'd been a death
Someone close had nothing left
Because she hadn't loved him
In the end
I saw her blush when I asked
If she always talked like that
She said it only happened
When she drank
And later on I felt her hand
Slipping into my cold fist
She promised me a kiss
As soon as we got home
Her costume had begun to tear
She ran ahead and turned to me
Her laughter echoed through
The empty streets.