The tiny goblin lives beneath my last pumpkin.
She creeps out at night to collect the fallen leaves
for a nest she will build
for winter naps.
The skies grow sere and dead,
winter puts on her white cape,
shakes out her misty hair
and the goblin holds out her naked arms
toward the stark bone
of the Halloween moon
as she praises Nott
in whispers and shouts.

[Ann Wuehler has written four novels — Aftermath: Boise, Idaho; The Remarkable Women of Brokenheart Lane; The House on Clark Boulevard; and Oregon Gothic. She also has various short stories placed, including “Man and House” in The Sun Magazine, “Elbow and Bean” in the current Whistle Pig Literary Magazine; and “Witch of the Highway” in World of Myth Magazine.]