FRAUD AT POLLS!

Ah, yes, October and the other sensations involved leave us introspective about next year and the depth of the pain to be endured. Nevertheless, come February, we'll be brimming for news of the stirrings in Florida and Arizona. I really like that the Dodgers go to Florida which just seems more natural. There's something about that Cactus League that feels counterfeit. Anyway, about five minutes of rain interrupted the perfect weather and cleaned things off a bit this afternoon, though it was not nearly the total cleansing that Travis Bickle had wished for when candidate Palantine asked him in "Taxi Driver".

Boo. The mood returns. Some Halloween decorations have popped up which can seem a little redundant in this town but their nature and color comforts me at a time when no real change of season has been that noticeable. Basically, it's fourteen degrees cooler and the days are getting shorter. The foliage is in typical year-round bloom so there's no giveaway there. No jack-o-lanterns to report yet but it's early for that. I may be wrong but I think that's more of an east coast thing. Maybe I'll try to catch the woman who leaves flowers on Valentino's grave once a week. I gotta do something spooky. I heard that Brian De Palma botched The Black Dahlia (what a surprise!). "No, just a heart shaped shower." "There goes that fantasy." But I digress. I'm going to get "Helter Skelter" off the shelf and find out where the Tate house was. I've seen the LaBianca place which is just around the corner from here. That's pretty spooky. Also, Riverside Drive just at the bottom of the hill from here is a hotbed for transients so I'm sure you could kill one and "..do things with the skin.." but I'd rather not. Still, the roadside is filled with old vans and beatup vehicles that are functioning as homes while the road itself is relatively clean and lush. That's a little scary in a way that you wonder which one of these folks you'll read about in a month or two and find out they were holding Elizabeth Smart prisoner months after she'd been recovered, or something like that. Or maybe the next Jewel lives down there. Now that's spooky.
The empty sockets
While Nosferatu watches
Something behind me

Human predators
Swarming by the riverside
Creeping up at night

Through the dog's nightmares
The house is now surrounded
I watch the doorknob

My first ever Halloween Haikus. Oh, did anyone get the significance of the headline?