Dichotomy
____________________________________________________________________________________________
When hardwoods yellow
people who care celebrate
softwoods yellowing concern
____________________________________________________________________________________________
“The woods is shining this morning
Red, gold and green, the leaves
Lie on the ground, or fall
Or hang full of light in the air still.”
~ from “Grace” by Wendell Berry
——————————————————–
The woods is shining this morning
A little bit less from above
A little bit more from below
First hard frost causing the inversion
*
Red, gold, and green the leaves
Have finally fallen carpeting
The lawn and last year’s leaves
The gold standing out, gleaming
*
Lie on the ground, or fall
Into the soft piles of leaves
Surrounded by colors, engulfed
By the scent of transition
*
Or hang full of light in the air still
From branches you’ve climbed to see
The leaves from afar, like you could
When they clung to the canopy
_____________________________________
(A Glosa Poem) inspired by
“Grace” by Wendell Berry
Everyday I’m Shufflin’
_____________________________________
Did anyone notice the line
In the leaves as they shuffled through
Amazed at what water can do
As it cascades from the roofline
Nature’s artwork so sublime
Only for temporary view
Until new weather does ensue
A new masterpiece reflects time
_____________________________________
(A Brace Octave)
Burning Bush
_____________________________________
The short attention spans
Of each and Everyman
Have to be the reason
This plant is liked at all
Enthralling just in fall
And no other season
Truly, barely pleasin’
I will blame who I can
The short attention spans
Of each and Everyman
_____________________________________
( A Letrilla Poem)
__
Komorebi
_____________________________________
I understand the Japanese
Have a word for the interplay of light and leaves
When the sunlight shines through the trees.
Why don’t we?
_____________________________________
(A Quatrain Poem)
(A Monorhyme Poem)
Anemone japonica
_____________________________________
White Japanese Anemone blooms
When the days grow shorter
While lighting up garden rooms
Wonderful during the season’s third quarter
*
How lovely are these flowers
Happiness on a stem
Hanging on into colder hours
Heroic late season gem
*
Only people who dare traverse
Onto garden paths in fall
Open their eyes and are immersed
Oddly in the beauty of it all
*
Nearing the end of the season
Nifty leaves change their hues
No they’re not the only reason
Needed to get out and enjoy the view.
_____________________________________
( A Trolaan Poem)
Katydid
_____________________________________
Nice try katydid but you are no leaf
Stick in cold pause in the October dawn
In slow motion until the cool is gone
Soaking in the sun’s rays for some relief
Up in the boughs you may never be seen
Down on the bark you’re the only thing green
This time of year the cool morning is brief
As sun steals the chill like a sly thief
You’re a target here now so green on the bark
Sure you were safe but it’s no longer dark
As the day brightens it’s nature’s belief
It’s time to conclude your chirps and your trills
Ending the night of adventures and thrills
‘Til dark katydid, go hide on a leaf
_____________________________________
Cercidiphyllum japonicum
_____________________________________
Autumn is showing!
Magic is in the air
Colors are glowing
No season can compare
*
Magic is in the air
The fragrance of love
Is just everywhere
Below and above
*
Colors are glowing
Most everyone can see
Smell is mind blowing
Lost on so many
*
No season can compare
Vanilla filled sky
You miss if unaware
Not just for the eye.
_____________________________________
(A Quadrilew Poem)
Better Prepare
_____________________________________
Red and golden leaves clatter to the ground
There’s a crisp clear freshness in the air
Acorns and black walnuts drop all around
Winter is coming! We have to prepare!
*
Gray squirrels sprint without a minute to spare
Tan sycamore fluff falls without sound
Migrating birds have stripped fruiting plants bare
How quickly the seasons change does astound
*
Winter food buried in earthen mounds
Tree nuts planted in every open square
Wildlife shows us sustenance abounds
Winter is coming! We have to prepare!
_____________________________________
(A Quandrel Poem)
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
_____________________________________
Mundane green grass covered with color bright
Each day there is just a little less light
Some find this time extremely depressing
These are all clues winter is in sight
*
This is the time when I feel alive
The darker, colder season’s when I thrive
Colorful leaves and soft snowflakes amaze
Thrilled when fall and winter arrive.
_____________________________________
(A Rubyat Poem)
A Picture and a Poem 