Kidlit Writing Frenzy Contest

Hi, y'all. It's fall and contest time. This is a new one hosted by Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez and Lydia Lukidis. Thank you ladies, and here's to apple cider and crisp cool days. 

The contest rules state: Pick a fall image (they had tons on their post), and write about it. We can write a poem. story, mood piece, whatever suits one's fancy. The audience is any kidlit age and maximum length is 200 words. 

I chose image #9 as it spoke to my years in Arizona where I  learned more about Mexican and Spanish culture. My four years in AZ taught me to better appreciate the plethora of cultures that make our country more diverse, stronger, and more interesting. 

Our first year in Phoenix we took our kids and grands to the Desert Botanical Gardens to experience their version of el Día de los Muertos, The Day of the Dead. Artists had set up a myriad of altares, and we were delighted to learn and enjoy a new tradition. I had just lost my mother to a stroke, and after reading up on Day of the Dead traditions, I created an alter for my mom. It made me feel her spirit. And, so, in that spirit, I wrote this piece.

Kathy Halsey                                                                                                         WC: 198                

@infowoman1 (twitter handle)                                                                         Prize: PB or CB

image #9

United States

Abuela’s Favorite Holiday: el Día de los Muertos

by Kathy Halsey 

            My bones rattle-clack as cool winds blow through them. It’s time.

           Time to settle in for fall. 

           Time to greet la familia again. 

            Oh, how I have missed them – my ninas and ninos. Once, we were together often, now just this special day. I have hovered near them since I passed on to a different world.

             But now, the veil is clear between the spirit world and my family. 

            I sniff, smile, and sneak a peek as Sonia readies my favorites . . . 

sweet breads, 

sugar skulls,

and spiced mole sauce.

            Rafa and Alejandro gather to place special offerings on my altares  . . .

tangerine marigolds,

photos of mi marido at our wedding,

candles that light my way;

water for this journey of mine.

            A tear slides, but I shake away my longing for the past. For now we will dance, feast, and parade. Will Rafa don a fancy suit and paint his face this year? Oh, my Alejandro, how he loves to “raise the dead” as he says, with strings of shells and noisemakers. 

            The breeze stops and I alight. “Mi familia? It’s Abuela. Ready for two glorious days of el Día de los Muertos?”