I hope you all enjoy the spooky and kooky poems in this month's issue of Verse-Virtual. It was fun to read through all the poems that we received. Please take a minute and email the authors whose poems you like. As this is my birth month, I am looking forward to getting out of Summer into firmly into Fall. Cooler weather, different activities, a sense of change in the air. It's a great time to write poetry and share it everywhere you can. On a much more somber note, natural disasters are taking a temendous toll on our country. I grieve for the thousands of people who were so brutally impacted by hurricane Helene. For others, wildfires continue to threaten their homes and livelihoods. So much death, injury, and destruction. The impact from these catastrophes lasts months and years. There are always immediate needs, and if you have the means, I encourage you to donate to any trusted agency that will be providing onsite assistance. You will note that we have included two poems by Robert Knox, who sadly passed away in September, as a way to honor his long and consistent involvement in Verse-Virtual as a Contributing Editor. He will be remembered kindly for his comments and encouragement to so many members of our community. Submissions for November open on October 1 and close on October 10, or when we have received 40 submissions. Jim Lewis, Editor