Poetry Recommendations Based on Your Favorite Halloween Candy
When it comes to Halloween candy, everyone has their ride-or-die. Whether you’d trade a Kit Kat for a caramel chew or kick candy corn to the curb can reveal some clues about your personality. To embrace the spirit of Halloween, we’ve selected eight popular Halloween candy picks and a suggested poem for each. So, what does your favorite Halloween candy say about you?
Skittles – “timeless” by rupi kaur
Skittles fans haven’t let the pressures of adulthood dull their enthusiasm. Colorful and sugary, sweet, this candy pick pairs perfectly with the mellifluous poem “timeless” by rupi kaur. From the poet’s 2017 collection, The Sun and Her Flowers, this poem is an anthem for those who believe age is truly just a number.
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups – “The Definition of Love” by Andrew Marvell
Rich, velvety, indulgent, peanut butter cups are the candy of choice for those who like to live for luxury. But what could a candy have in common with a 1681 poem? Well, English poet Andrew Marvell lays on lavish lines of saccharine lyrics to describe the all-encompassing feeling of love.
Hershey’s Special Dark – “The Blues” by Billy Collins
If this is your top pick, Halloween candy is as serious as a good cup of coffee to you. The acquired taste of bittersweet chocolate comes with age and experience. Billy Collins’s “The Blues” makes a lovely pairing, as the poem manages to make sweet music from the bitter, painful parts of life.
M&Ms – “A Supermarket in California” by Allen Ginsberg
If the colorful clatter of M&Ms makes your heart sing, so will the work of Allen Ginsberg. Like shuffling a handful of M&Ms in your palm, bright images fly by as you read “A Supermarket in California.” Equal parts playful and panicked, this poem matches the excitement that comes with opening a package of M&Ms.
Sour Patch Kids – “You’re” by Sylvia Plath
First, they’re sour, and then they’re sweet. Sour Patch Kid fans feel emotions in a whirlwind. Like the changing flavors of a Sour Patch Kid, Plath’s poem “You’re” brings forth a whiplash of feelings. From her iconic collection, Ariel, this poem is as hard to predict as the moment a Sour Patch Kid will turn its flavors.
Butterfinger – “To My Father / To My Future Son” by Ocean Vuong
Butterfinger fans enjoy the unexpected. A variance of flavors, layers, and texture hypnotize the palette. Ocean Vuong’s “To My Father / To My Future Son,” echoes the complexity of the Butterfinger’s layered nature. From his collection Night Sky With Exit Wounds, this poem sends a cascade of images through readers’ minds.
Kit Kat – “Home Movies: A Sort of Ode” by Mary Jo Salter
Kit Kats are hard to pass up. Snappy and familiar, they’re as much of a treat as Mary Jo Salter’s “Home Movies: A Sort of Ode.” Salter’s plain language and domestic imagery bring memories of childhood bubbling to the surface.
Werther’s Originals – “A Portrait in Greys” by William Carlos Williams
You’re an old soul, and you’re not afraid to show it. William Carlos Williams is the perfect poet for you. “A Portrait in Greys” matches the stillness that comes with a freshly unwrapped Werther’s Original. Slowly, it melts and disappears on your tongue as the poem brings images slowly in and out of focus.
