Perfect Jack-O-Lantern

Buster, they called me

Old and rotten and ugly

The bravest of them all

In the pumpkin patch

My friends shuddered

Children, adults, dogs, babies

Trampled through the leaves

Picking the

Round

Bright

Orange

Beautiful

Pumpkins

Everyone said I was brave

But what was there to be afraid of?

I wasn’t like they were

Perfect

Carving

Material

One by one,

Candle, Ghost, Rainbow, Autumn, Cowboy, Boo

They took them

Bought them

And cut out their faces

Burned them until their brains sizzled

And I was left

Alone

How I wanted to be taken

I didn’t know

Noone knew

I wanted to be seen, loved, chosen

That’s what everyone else had gotten, right?

Boy, was I wrong