"Cauldron Fire "

 "Cauldron Fire"

Greg Budig 2020

Deep within the 

forest glen, where 

the black oaks grew 

jagged and thick.

Stood a clearing that 

glowed with cauldron fire!

Where witches gathered 

to learn a new trick. 

With eyes of green 

and pointed hats they 

stirred their massive pot. 

They laughed as it 

bubbled and gurgled 

and hissed, 

witches like to 

do that a lot!

Incantations 

filled the night as 

their voices grew 

higher and higher!! 

The witches cackled 

in raspy thick 

tones all around 

the cauldron fire!

They started to giggle 

and nodded their heads. 

They knew that the

spell was just right!

So they jumped on their

broomsticks and took  to 

the sky to make mischief 

on Halloween night!!

The End 

"Pumpkin in the Window"

"Pumpkin in the Window"

Greg Budig 2020

Smiling from the 

front porch window.

Behind ghostly sheer

and wispy white curtains. 

An almost sneer has been 

jaggedly cut for a mouth. 

Eyes carved up in a 

sharply surprised angle.

 A perfect triangular nose. 

A stub of a candle burns

bright from inside you. 

Reflections glow eerily on 

the cracked plaster walls. 

Yellow and orange lights

flicker and dance all 

around you. Making the 

darkened shadows 

begin to weirdly sway. 

The four season porch 

where you sit is quite chilly. 

It smells of wet autumn 

and slightly singed gourd. 

The children who carved 

you visit you nightly. 

They light you and gaze 

at you, crossed  legged 

on the floor. 

A Halloween sentinel 

of ancient tradition!

A symbol of the night!!

You are called

 Jack-O-Lantern when 

proudly lit in the darkness!

But just a pumpkin 

in the window when your

light is blown out. 

The End 

"Trick or Treating"

 

"Trick or Treating"

Greg Budig 2020

Neighborhood 

streets.  Scattered 

leaves under glowing 

white streetlights. 

The houses are ablaze 

in pumpkin light. 

Shadows deepen

as the evening 

light fades. 

Bedsheet ghosts and 

orange and black die cuts.

Vintage images of 

witches and ghouls.

Doorways lit by 

seldom used house 

lights.  Inviting the 

goblins that stroll

door to door. 

They once were all

simple street urchins.

Souling the villages 

on All Hallows Eve.

Costumed dressed,

faces hidden,

evil spirits are 

now confused 

and dismayed. 

Soul cakes have 

long been forgotten. 

Sugary candies are 

used in their stead.

Faces painted wearing 

warm winter coats,

flashlight parents 

are all gathered 

in the dark. 

The End 

"Halloween Moon"

"Halloween Moon"

Greg Budig 2020

Bats and cats 

and crooked trees

silhouette against the

orange autumn glow. 

Mischievous spirits 

play their tricks,

little goblins 

from long,

long ago. 

High above the

spirits will gather

and await  their 

appointed hour. 

Once a year they 

return to earth

and reveal their 

ghostly power!

The thin veil between us

breaks at midnight,

and for the spirits 

it's never too soon.

The bewitching 

hour is upon us!

They come to dance 

beneath the 

Halloween moon. 

The End 

"You Are Still Here "

 

"You Are Still Here"

Greg Budig 2020

You need to step out of the

suffocating darkness for 

awhile and walk into the

pure, ever cleansing 

fullness of the light. 

Grief has swallowed 

you like Jonah and 

left you gasping. 

Raw with emotion. 

Crawling inside 

your cocoon.

Days good and bad 

blur into each other. 

You think too much. 

Feelings amplified. 

You fall apart. 

The climb has left you 

empty and tired. 

No one sees the 

battle you wage.

You stumble amongst 

the jagged stones, these 

bottomless chasms and 

towering cliffs alone. 

But you are not alone. 

Isolation is your 

own creation,

your crutch. 

Weakness is not 

your fault. 

Open your eyes,

you are still here. 

The End 

"A Progression of Time "

 

"A Progression of Time"

Greg Budig 2020

Almost undetected in

the early September light. 

The vibrant green of 

summer's dress begins 

to tatter into gold. 

Autumn patches

appear amongst the 

emerald maple leaves. 

Daylight quickly shortens.

Darkness begins to take hold. 

Chlorophyll fades while 

true colors appear. 

Wistfully watching as 

the season transforms.

Times progression is 

clearly now on display. 

Late September has 

brought its glory. 

Trees explode into 

crimson and gold. 

The horizon is an inferno. 

Blaze orange against 

skies of deep blue. 

Eyes are overwhelmed.

Anticipating the season. 

The sacred time has arrived. 

Surrounded by nature's 

autumnal display,

you relish in the glow. 

Summer was lazy.

Ambitious is fall. 

Winter slowly draws near. 

October winds come 

overnight, the leaves 

are twisted and torn. 

Soon the colors have 

fallen, scattered in 

piles upon the ground. 

Bare branches silhouette

against pale morning skies.

Slowly life progresses

while time accelerates. 

Days pass into weeks,

weeks into months,

months into seasons,

seasons into years. 

We are not immune to it.

It's a progression of time. 

The End 

"The Season has Gone "

 

"The Season has Gone "

Greg Budig 2020

The season has ended

as ghosts of frost 

have come to rest. 

Mornings have 

become brittle as the 

sun strains to warm 

the October dawn. 

The garden begins 

to slouch.

Springs anticipation 

is long past gone. 

The renewal of turning 

the soil is merely a 

hazy recollection. 

Everyday there was 

newness to the garden. 

Cucumbers and tomatoes 

stretched towards the sun. 

The harvest filled your 

pantry shelves with 

dill pickles, salsa and beans. 

Tangy tomatoes sweetened 

by the sun hung heavy 

on thick green vines. 

Cucumbers sliced, sitting 

in the fridge with onions,

sugar, vinegar and cream. 

It was tended and 

watered and weeded 

and trimmed. 

You would look to the 

sky in anticipation of rain. 

So full of life! With 

the flavors and smells. 

Basil, thyme,

cilantro and dill. 

Gone are the blossoms

and the hovering bees.

Shriveled skeletons 

of summer's great glory. 

Drooping and falling 

on weather worn cages. 

The trellis sits naked 

with yellowing dried vines. 

The season has gone. 

The End