Fall Morning Treats by hil hoover

Fall Morning Treats

by hil hoover

(wanderinghil on twitter or bluesky, I'll try to comment around when my health allows, love you folks!) 

It’s been a long night, hasn’t it? 

The kind where we speak everything 

that we haven’t thought to say

to each other before, 

or maybe wanted to but never 

had the words 

because life can be that way sometimes

when you wish you knew what you wanted

but just… don’t. 

The donuts are nearly stale, 

grocery store fare, nothing 

special but for the seasonal 

flavor of them, the pumpkin spice 

of it all, the old humor video we play 

on my phone as we wait 

on the aeropress, because 

we can’t have pumpkin spice 

without needing our defender, 

our knight in shining comedic 

armor to remind us

it’s okay. 

the apples from the tree outside 

fry up in the pan for the sake 

of my weird allergies 

- cooked is fine, raw is not - 

with vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, 

and more butter than anyone ought

to have in one sitting 

but look, 

you’re already dead and 

winter is coming, 

I’m going to need

this fat, aren’t I? 

and it’s a beautiful 

sunrise 

if only it didn’t mean 

that ghosts had to 

return to wherever

they spend their 

days 

and those of us 

with lives to live

ought to get back 

to the living 

of them 

(maybe I’ll 

have just one more 

cup of coffee

with your memory 

before I do)