Hallow's Eve

It was the sign of the times. The Wraiths' Feast came to be. Collegiate voice lifters journeyed through the Witches' Passage to the nearest Wailing Walls. With Lantern Haze devices, they slowly proceeded onward. Under a darkened sky, they listened for Midnight Murmurs from Gossamer Ghosts who enjoyed lurking on the bewitching night of Halloween. 

Are you ready for a ghostly poems prompted by our creative Poetry Friday host, Jone Rush MacCulloch? Jone offers a list of Halloween prompts to create a variety of poems by our community of writer-poets.  What I did was take her poems and introduce them in a short tale that is partially true from my college days with additional support from Halloween photos I took while living in Long Island.           

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DON'T BE AFRAID!

Howling whisperers

screech and whimper.

With bated breath,

 Halloweeners creep quietly,

slowly inching their way

throughout the cemetery

until they notice

a formidable sign.

"Yikes!"  Do you see a conclave before us?

Ghastly, bellowing ghosts circle.

Whose Moolinght Graveyard is this?

I think I know, but

not all agree.

Some friends step back,

tingling like scared cats,

Others mesmerized by the Phantom Lullaby.

Howling screams, frozen in time, rise. Stop!

Something lurks by the Velvet Coffin.

"Let it be known", so it is said.

"There is something haunting

in the light of the moon."

Without delay, scratching voices

rise from the ground.

We quickly skedaddle

under the light of the evening moon,

before sirens chase us out.

©CVarsalona, 2025

Just Remember:

Beware of what lurks at night on Hallow's Eve.

@CVarsalona, free verse, Halloween 2025

@CVarsalona digital artwork 

Follow the light of the moon to Jone's Poetry Friday Halloween Roundup.

You never know what you will find.

Poetry Peeps were invited to the Poetry Sisters challenge for October! A burning haibun arrived from the ashes of my opening prose poem. As the Poetry Princesses noted, the burning haibun is not the "old regular haibun. It highlights the internal landscape of memory and within them, something somewhere must BURN." 

(Please enjoy visiting other poets who enjoyed creating burning haibuns: Tricia, Sara, Laura, Mary Lee, Liz, and Michelle K. Check Tanita's blog to see if more people joined in.)

In prose, I present Hallow's Eve.

It was the sign of the times. The Wraiths' Feast came to be. Collegiate voice lifters journeyed through the Witches' Passage to the nearest Wailing Walls. With Lantern Haze devices, they slowly proceeded onward. Under a darkened sky, they listened for Midnight Murmurs from Gossamer Ghosts who enjoyed lurking on the bewitching night of Halloween. 

Erasure #1. Result after the blackout technique:

it's time. Wraths' Feast came. Voice lifted. Journey with lanterns slowly proceeded. Darkened sky listened. Midnight ghosts lurking on Halloween. 

Erasure #2. Burnout leads to a haiku.

It's time wraith came

voices journey listen

night ghosts lurk

  Draft CVarsalona, Halloween 2025, burning haibun

Oh, what fun it is to capture Halloween Eve, especially since this year I am homebound with a fractured ankle. My boot and walker chair are my costume for a chilly night at home.

Please understand that I have been on slow-go movement since last week.

October's End-Catch The Vibes

There's a whisper of Autumn's magic as she gracefully prepares to turn October's evenings into November days. Before November arrives, Autumn gathers colorful leaves swishing by her feet and throws them playfully into the wind. Then, she continues to tread lightly because ghastly ghosts might appear on her Autumn walk. Are you ready for a Halloween treat?

Would you like to see the above-animated poster? Click here to find the Buncee I created. If I lived in Louisiana, I would see mysterious Spanish Moss hanging over bushes. Last Wednesday, slicer Margaret Simon, shared a photo for This Photo Wants to Be Poem. One of her talented students, Avalyn  created a poetic format. You can click here to read the format. Moving on to Hallow's Eve, you can find another animated  Buncee.

Enjoy Halloween. I do every year and can't wait to see my grandgirls' costumes. 

This is my Tuesday's Slice of Life that I send to Two Writing Teachers,

a meeting place for a world of reflective writers.

Since I have another respiratory infection, I will spread slices and send comments tomorrow.

Autumn's Abundant Gifts

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Welcome to the Autumn Edition

of Poetry Friday

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Once again, Autumn unfolds in brilliant color and poetic thought. There are many ah-hah moments to enjoy because Nature understands the need to nurture life.  I am delighted to host this week's Poetry Friday. 

RELAX and REFLECT

There is a nostalgic feeling and a breath of autumn in the air and carried into my home. As you browse through my blog, you will most likely agree with me that:

If you have followed my blog each autumn, you will find Autumn Galleries of Artistic Expressions that I created. Many Poetry Friday authors offered their original image poems and photography to delight gallery guests. I honor all the writers and poets who shared their work integrating the arts, technology, and poetry. You can click on the titles of the underlined galleries. It's my Halloween treat.

2014  -   Finding Fall

2015   -  Autumn's Palette

2016   -  Autumnventure

2017   -  Autumn Ablaize

2020 -  Abundant Autumn

2021   -  Bedecked in Autumn

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Another treat is the debut of Janet Wong's and Sylvia Vardell's book, Clara's Kooky Compendium of Thimblethoughts and Wonderfuzz. Janet and Sylvia have created a unique anthology of poems from a 150 poets. I was delighted to have one of my poems, Would You Like To Bake?, published in this amazing collection. Each set of poems includes an interesting ThimbleThought and a wonder question, WonderFuzz. Students will enjoy the illustrations by Frank Ramspott and the exercise journals. Since I recently received my book, I will review the book soon. Then, I will send it off into the universe of KidLit. You will enjoy getting kooky with Clara. Thank you, Janet and Sylvia, for creating a book that will dazzle students, classroom teachers, and families.

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Poetry Sister October Prompt

Write a poem in which you literally build and/or take apart something for your reader. Focus your attention on constructing or deconstructing your object, taking into account technical terms, instructions, perhaps even the source of your materials.

I created a quick trinet poem sequence about constructing a spooky but fun scavenger walk through my house for my grandgirls. 

Halloween spirit

Floats in.

Boxes of decorations will mesmerize grandgirls.

Scarecrows, costumes, ghosts, create fall magic.

Spirits unleash.

Scenes created.

Spooky ambiance!

Ready for

Halloween party?

Not yet, where's the orange light?

Who'll stack boxes in the garage?

Crazed search.

Weekend hunt

Trickster's treat!

©CVarsalona, revised 2024

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Over the years, it has been a pleasure to present the colors of Autumm through a poetic and artistic lens. Autumn is the time to curl up reading. Enjoy the range of writing from the Poetry Friday community.  Enjoy the range of writing from the Poetry Friday community. Happy Halloween! 

NOTE: I tried out a new company for link-ups but I a glitch occurred. If you left a comment, it might be deleted so please add it again, Click to Enter, again.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Halloween Digital Delights with Poetic Flare

There is a trickster in the house.

Boo! It's Grandpa!

Halloween is an experience down memory lane.

I remember it well-

present (above) to past years (below).

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 Let's move backward in time to college days. 

With flashlights, we trod lightly on the cemetery grounds.

 Teaching days brought a Harvest House

scenario for the entire school. There were

decorations, read out louds, refreshments, and fun.

In the neighborhood, 

families gathered together for trick and treat. 

Adults enjoyed costume parties.

Little grandgirls chose their fashionable wear as Disney characters.

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Halloween's Coming!

It's time to light up your imagination.

Now that the digital artwork has been presented, I turn to poetic flare.

Halloween Delight

Momentum rises. 

Halloween is around the corner. 

It specializes

Not as a mourner,

A magical night it is.

Are you ready

dear little miss?

If not, go steady.

Walk down the streets

But beware

Of gobbly treats.

and smells in the air.

Laugh and enjoy

The darkness of night

Don't destroy

Or cry with fright.

Halloween dances

In clothes of black

As he prances

Call him Jack.

©CVarsalona, October 2024, quick write

Country Living

I hope you enjoy a taste of my Halloween-inspired digital art and poem for my little grandgirls. You can see more of my Halloween digital artwork taken in my Long Island neighborhood before we moved by clicking here.  

"l love Halloween and I love that feeling: the cold air, the spooky dangers lurking around the corner." 

Below is a song for little children to sing on Halloween.

I presented my treats so now I share a Halloween trick: 

Find me as a costumed character in the above digital artwork.

Have a Fa-Boo-Lous Halloween!

Now, I am turning the Poetry Friday corner to link in with one of my favorite poet friends, Matt Forrest Esenwine who hosts today's Poetry Friday. Click here to find out what Matt is sharing. You will read a plethora of good news about Matt's success in the Kidlit literary world. I always enjoy book reviewing his work so stay tuned!

I invite everyone to join me next week as I host Poetry Friday. 

Bring your delightful photos, quotes, digital artwork, and poetic goodness. I am excited to share our poetry community's wonderfilled offerings.

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Let your imagination take you wherever it wishes to go. - Carol

Spooky Season Creative Challenges

It's time for the spooky season to rise from creative minds thanks to

Jone Rush MacCulloch and her Spooky Spectacular Found Poems

 original digital art by CVarsalona

Early this month, Jone sent an invitation to her found poem spectacular palooza, spooky version. Those interested needed to choose a favorite horror or scary book, poem, or story to read. I found a very weird short story, Ashes, by C. M. Eddy, Jr. with HP Lovecraft to get me in the mood to write. I also read a short newspaper clip about the strange Halloween storm that devastated Long Island, NY's beach areas and nearby inland towns. Perhaps you have heard of Superstorm Sandy and its after-effects. My family spent 14 days without hot water, heat, or electricity. Schools :were closed. Food was scarce. Old, huge trees crashed through homes and houses near the water were destroyed. It was a monster of a storm that led to the name "Frankenstorm".

Media Article

In the days leading up to Oct. 29, 2012, Long Islanders were warned of “a once-in-a-lifetime storm” hurtling toward the Northeast. It was called “Frankenstorm” for both its timing right before Halloween and the mash up of weather elements expected to worsen its impact. People were urged to prepare for punishing rain and high winds as well as flooding made worse by the full moon.

Sandy made landfall in New Jersey around 8 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 29. That morning, Long Islanders awoke to states of emergency already declared in most Long Island towns, 100 people already in Red Cross shelters, and 400 members of the National Guard activated...

   Bewildered Befuddled!  

By Frankenstorm

    Truth Be Told  

 Warning, 

 Horror wrought! 

Frackenstorm strikes.  

  Full moon effects unfold. 

 Halloween mashup of 

 Howling winds and 

 Unprecedented, punishing rains 

 Haunt the region in a 

  Path of destruction. 

 Beware! 

 ©CVarsalona, 2023

Listen to the lyrics of  Nature's Way  by Spirit.

I'm returning back to a list of words that piqued my interest for the macabre from the short story, Ashes. The Poetry Princesses have a new challenge, Bouts-rimes, which in French means "rhymed ends".  I am modifying the poetry challenge to work solo rather than with a partner. I chose a set of  words from the short story and added 7 rhyming words to attempt to write a poem around the gruesome tale. The words chosen are: chill, devilish, will, wish, frantic, ashes, panic, rashes, horror, tortured, disorder, cornered, terror. I infused the Poetry Sisters' 2023 theme of Transformation into my digital  to illustrate what happens when my inner Halloween love turns me from a human into a gothic character. Now, I am debating what I shall wear to the Halloween costume party.

 

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Before I create a new costume for the Halloween party, I am joining the Poetry Friday community for more poetic fun. Carol Labuzzetta is our host this week at The Apples In My Orchard. As an enviromental educational specialist she is sharing information on bats. Did you know that "We need bats! They are important to us for insect control and pollination of several popular like bananas. Carol also offers a final invitation to join her Ekphrastic Nature Poetry Anthology filled with poetry goodness. It is going to be frantastic.

Pre-Halloween Fun

The end of October is almost here and I have been busy adding the final touches to my October decorations. With Halloween just a week away, I thought a bit of digital magic would add the sparkle needed to wrap up my October decorations. All I needed was my little granddaughters to inspire me because what is Halloween without children? My wish was granted. 

The little girls spent last weekend with us. I had a variety of ideas planned to entertain them. One was a morning walk around the neighborhood with baskets of cookies for neighbors to taste. While adding Halloween decorations around the house, my oldest granddaughter found two accessories in my Halloween box that made her eyes sparkle. She giggled with joy upon finding a LI Duck whistle and dentures. I started taking photos that made my younger grandgirl and me laugh. One in particle sparked an idea. Why not digitize the photo with some photo apps to create a party invitation. The photo chosen for the invitation was carefully placed on the outside wreath for the parents to see before entering the house.

Dressing in costumes is part of the fun of a Halloween party so of course the question was asked, "What can the girls wear?" Luckily, I had costumes made by my talented mother for my children when they were young. The grandgirls decided they would be happy to wear the robot and clown costumes made by Grandma Kay.  Their parents were surprised when they walked in and I was delighted to have my first Halloween House party in Virginia with the family and my little grandgirls.

Join me at Slice of Life celebrated at Two Writing Teachers,

a meeting place for a world of reflective writers.