"The Halloween Shadows'

"The Halloween Shadows"

By Greg Budig

copyright 2020

"Are there shadows

at night?" a young 

child once asked.

"Oh yes… there 

certainly are!"

Black as coal, deep 

and dark, spreading

near and reaching far.

But on Halloween night

the shadows can be 

something much 

more exciting!

Is that a ghost? 

 Is that a ghoul?"

Who knows what

could be hiding!!

So let's light the 

jack-o-lanterns!

Let their eerie 

glow fill the air!

Let's search through 

the Halloween shadows

just to see what 

is hiding there!

I can see three ghostly

figures, walking swiftly 

across the street. 

With flowing capes 

and ghoulish smiles,

 leaves crunch 

beneath their feet.

"Who are you?"

"Where are you going?"

"Why do you wander 

through our streets?"

"Can't you see we're 

trick or treating!"

"We're out searching 

for some sweets!!"

Deep inside the spooky 

shadows, something 

slinks behind the trees!! 

What kind of nightmarish 

monster is hiding 

amongst the leaves!!

But soon it is discovered,

how could I have been 

afraid of that?! It was

only Charlie Whiskers…

the neighbor's portly cat!

Halloween shadows

will play tricks on us.

Twisted figures in the

orange pumpkin light.

They seem to dance by 

the windows and 

crawl up the roof! 

What kind of madness 

are we seeing tonight!!

But the madness 

is all an illusion. 

Like a magician,

it tricks and deceives. 

The figures are 

just twisted branches.

The shadows from 

the now leafless trees. 

All through the solemn 

graveyard, where on 

Halloween one 

should never go!

Are the shadows that 

are always changing,

forever moving in 

the moon's ghostly glow.

Amongst the aging 

headstones, all lined 

up in stately rows.

The shadows appear 

like swaying ghosts,

all depending on 

where the wind blows. 

All through the mystery 

of Halloween night, 

the shadows make

you wonder what's real. 

The visions in your 

Halloween mind are 

usually worse than 

what the shadows reveal. 

Halloween is a night to 

feel afraid, to be amazed

 and feel suddenly alive!

The shadows let your

imagination run wild!

They let the magic of

childhood survive.

So go out into the 

Halloween shadows. 

Let them invite you to 

 the wild celebration!!

Because the magic of 

the Halloween shadows,

is the magic of your

own imagination!!

THE END