Tender is the night

Full of broken hearts

Expectations crash

It all kicks off

On Halloween.

Cold is the night

When people dress up.

They want to show off their legs

They still cling to summer

To the warmth

Even if it’s gone.

Long gone.

You dress as Neo.

She doesn’t dress as Trinity.

That Matrix boxset was a waste.

Was it meant to be?

Halloween was your chance.

She came as a cat.

So did Rachel.

And Sarah.

And Jess.

And Kelly.

And Ilana.

And Tom?

He’s dressed in a sexy cat outfit.

Jess gets angry.

Says he’s making fun out of women’s clothing.

Tom is too high to care.

Feminism means nothing tonight

On Halloween.

Ash opens a window to smoke

And all the women scream,

As their exposed legs

Goosebump.

How apt.

Oli puts on ‘Monster Mash’.

Memories of past parties

Of past loves

Of past costumes

Of past friends

Are a kick in the heart

Nostalgia sucks.

Everyone shouts at him to turn it off.

It hurts too much to listen

To the fucking ‘Monster Mash’.

The last Halloween in the EU

Cian happily exclaims.

A thorn in the side

Of everyone’s mind

As they try and drink more

To forget.

Cian voted leave.

As did more than half the country.

But no one takes you seriously

When you’re dressed as Shrek.

The party goes on

Music shakes the floor

Drinks spill

Crisps and dip give the stomach some relief.

There are good vibes

But they shimmer

On the surface.

Does my costume look good enough?

Will I get with him?

Is this working?

Am I being funny enough?

These bubble

Below

Making the vibes boil

And burst

You drink more.

Ignore.

Ilana’s dancing on a chair.

Ignore.

This happens at all parties

You can’t switch off

What’s always switched on.

Thoughts of the self

Thoughts of hesitations

Parties are a distraction

But not for long.

We’re all a bit soft underneath.

Tender.

Fake blood stains clothes,

Matted wigs come off,

Costumes disintegrate.

It’s a party.

Like always.

Halloween is a great excuse

To show off

Or break down.

Tom and Jess argue more

They sleep together that night.

Cian knocks Ilana off the chair

He drunk drives her to A&E.

Ash coughs up black.

Rachel eats all the cake.

Kelly cries.

No one knows why.

You finally ask her:

“What happened to our plan?”

Does the Matrix mean nothing?

She shrugs.

She changed her mind.

The Matrix is so 90s.

She’s not wrong

But it still sucks.

Now you’re pastiche

And feeling tender.