September 14, 2023

Unhaunting the Haunted House by Darrell Petska

Glimmered memories
like mist shade the rooms—
Clouded windowpanes,
recall children's smiles.

Faint echoes of words
dust the torn curtains—
Light lean and ragged,
read what once was said.

Remnants of worry
fleck the wallpaper—
Saggy, stained ceilings,
breathe hope’s stubborn air.

Holidays long gone
soot the fireplace—
Cold, forbidding hearth,
rekindle mirth’s glow.

Unhanded clapboards
haunt All-Hallows’ dusk—
Wood warped and pitted,
shelter time-lapsed souls.

On broken porch steps
chill darkness descends—
Long-ghosted pumpkins,
take bites out of night.





Darrell Petska is a retired university engineering editor. His writing can be found in Third Wednesday Magazine, Verse-Virtual, Muddy River Poetry Review and widely elsewhere (conservancies.wordpress.com). Father of five and grandfather of six, he lives near Madison, Wisconsin, with his wife of more than 50 years.

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