Like everything else in 2020, Hallowe'en will have a different shape. Treats and single-use decor have been on dollar store shelves for weeks, but no one is sure how they'll be distributed or displayed. Will kids parade down streets but not knock on doors? Will bowls be placed on curbs rather than in doorways? In spite of much uncertainty, two things will happen on October 31st. First, I will eat all the mini-kitkats in the box. Second, I will remember the departed saints. Not the ones for whom cathedrals are named, but the ordinary saints, especially the most recent. St. Nancy, St. Linda, St. Bob; not yet accustomed to their new surroundings, and we to the staggering loss. Are they, like us, unable to rest; wringing their hands; watching, waiting to see what's next?
the dead persevere,
linger, love after what we
assumed was the end
