Une recherche pour Veille de la toussaint.

October 22nd was a day long in coming.
Much, much too long.
'Twas a day I had awaited with quickening breath,
Grinding teeth,
Fingernails a-tapping.
'Twas a day that should have eased the anxiety,
Silenced the jitters,
Filled the need,
Put an end to the lackings.

October 22nd was COSTCO DAY...

The morning schedule was the Wednesday oasis,
A gloomy calm between two storms.
'Twas, as always, an open range for catching up,
Filling needs,
Meeting expectations.
'Twas a time to be grappling with apathy,
Sparring with laziness,
Not giving in,
Put fingers in the energy leaks.

4th period class done, and I was in my BLUE RAV4.

The drive to Makuhari was easy as pie.
No traffic in the early afternoon.
'Twas a time for cruising straight and quick,
Covering ground,
Avoiding resistance,
'Twas not long before I was off the expressway,
On local roads,
Soon up the ramp,
Put the car into a space found so quickly.

The search for Halloween soon began.
Certainly something had to be left.
'Twas two months before Christmas,
And all through Seasonal,
Nothing but Christmas.
'Twas not such a surprise,
So I got other things,
Whatever looked good,
Put the cart on the escalator to the food floor.

Last year the pumpkin court ruled the Produce.
So many there'd been.
'Twas different this year;
Not an orange orb in sight,
Except oranges.
'Twas such a letdown,
So I filled up my cart
With what caught my eye.
Put a gooey dent in my bank account.

On the way back toward home I spied Carrefour...;
I'd never been there.
'Twas as good a time as any.
Getting in was a pain,
The parking space tiny.
'Twas practically empty in the giant store;
Where are all the people?
Shopping somewhere else?
Put the French out of business is their plan?

In Carrefour three aisles of Halloween goodies
All twenty percent off.
'Twas two weeks before the day,
Yet already old,
And so priced to go.
'Twas just fine for me so I filled up a basket
Enough for this year,
Yet scanty I fear.
Put another one in and head food-ward.

In the supermarket section no pumpkins in sight,
And no French cheeses either.
'Twas sad, but the reason I already know:
Bought out by Jusco...
Mainstream, don't you know?
'Twas mainly the name that was French,
And some cool kitchenware,
Oh, and wine everywhere.
Put those aside and it's just like at home.

Not wanting to let the stop just go to waste
I snapped up more substance.
'Twas nothing I needed but wanted all the same:
Some Warsteiner beer,
Yankee Candles here!
'Twas fun but my wallet was howling with pain!
And I blocked the lane
Hauling bags full of gain.
Put them in the car and it groans.

And so I went home with a car not full of pumpkins,
And it was rush hour.
'Twas all Sunday drivers on this Wednesday evening,
The speed limit? No, slower.
All like tractor-mowers.
'Twas fun slaloming all the putt-dinks and grannies,
But still not so fast,
Till then home at last.
Put everything in the house in eight trips.

It seems Halloween has been catching on here.
This weird, Western holiday thriving.
'Twas scant mention of it a decade ago;
Most kids didn't know it,
So I'd work hard to show it.
'Twas so then, but it seems to be different now.
I don't really know how,
But it's much more high-brow.
Put near more well-known than Tanabata.

Anyway, my quest for pumpkins continues!!!


(Image from The INS.)