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