Playing with fall images

Words are like images; they can be beautiful, playful, stark, shocking. Have you written lately? 

    The ghost watched the squirrel scamper up the old tree

 and chew off a leafy twig.

                                                    She tucked it into the crook of a limb
                                                             padding her nest so big.

                                              When the last leaves turn, drop to the ground,
                                                      cold wind and snowflakes abound,
                                                  ghosts disappear; were they even here?
                                                    Their footprints can never be found.

The scarecrows, though small, have the most fun of all when critters come around at night.

Stray cats go creeping, raccoons sneaking, rabbits trigger our motion light.

They sniff the ghosts, pumpkins, too. Scarecrows chase them away with a great big, "BOO!"

                                     Is it a monster? A person on stilts? A peanut-head circus fright?
                              A long-legged clown walking around, waiting for the darkness of night?

                                            I'll give you a clue. The afternoon sun plays tricks on you.
                                                                 And as you can plainly see...
                                                             it isn't a  monster or wacky clown.
                                                                 It's simply a shadow of ME.