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      February 14, 2022Jehovah WhitneyWhitney Olson

      When I was a little / Witness girl
      We didn’t / celebrate / Halloween
      We didn’t / so I didn’t
      Didn’t / celebrate / anything
       
      The school kids / would call me / Jehovah Whitney
      Jehovah Witness / didn’t suffice
      And when I told my mom / she
      Laughed / and said / See, even your name is witnessing
       
      And all the / Witness moms / would
      Pick their / Witness kids / up / from school early
      Have a / Witness get-together / at
      Chuck E. Cheese
       
      A Jehovah / Witness get-together / never
      A party / Witnesses never / Halloween
      And Jehovah / Witness / Whitney never had
      As many tokens as the other / Witness kids
       
      But the next / school day / there’d be a
      Grocery-store-bag of / leftover candy
      From / the school Halloween party
      Tied with two knots / and left / for me
       
      I’d stick it in my backpack
      Eat it all on / the school bus
      On the way / back home / before
      Jehovah Whitney’s / Witness mom / could see
       
      Then one year she told me / there wasn’t
      Enough / money for / Chuck E. Cheese
      Excuse yourself from / the school party
      Tell them you don’t / celebrate / Halloween
       
      I excused myself / but
      On the walk home from / the school bus stop
      With no candy / or / costume / or / Chuck E. Cheese
      I stopped at all the houses to / whisper / trick-or-treat
       
      The neighbors smiled at / Jehovah Whitney
      Gave me a tiny candy / somehow
      When I got home my / Witness mom
      Knew / what I had done
       
      She walked me back / down the street
      To knock on all the doors / told me
      Give back the candy / tell the neighbors why
      We don’t / celebrate / Halloween
       
      I handed back / the candy / sobbing
      I didn’t / Witness / know
      I couldn’t / Witness / say
      Why we didn’t / Witness / celebrate Halloween

      from #74 – Winter 2021

      Whitney Olson

      “I grew up as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and lived in that community until being exiled at 24 years old for coming out as gay. This experience, and my career working with the elderly as an occupational therapy assistant, have come to shape these poems. I write poetry because it is the pocket of air trapped in our overturned boat, the language that fills our lungs and keeps us treading on, reaching out for fellow survivors.”

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