autumn’s season when leaves must fall in colors of dying sunset across sky where canada geese high above us call their long goodbyes to summer’s home; they must move on as leaves must fall. farmers bring in dry harvest of ripe corn and deliver fattened cattle to butcher’s stall to supply grocer’s shelves to feed all our children hungry for winter’s first snowfall; in hopes of missed school days while haze of smoky fires burn dead leaves that must fall.
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This is a “fold” poem invented by Gillena Cox and featured at dVerse poets’ pub.
The Fold [Gillena’s guidelines] 1. 11 lines 2. The end phrase of Line 1 repeats at Lines 5 and 11 3. The rhyme of line 1 continues through in every other line 4. There MUST be a reference to nature and how it affects you, the poet
do you know what the earth meditates upon in autumn?
when north wind breathes fresh worship
over cornfield of heavy stalks bowed down
as ripe apples bless orchard with abundance
and tumbleweeds dance across rural road?
when crispy leaves gather in harvest pile
over rich soil fully yielded to waning sun
as pumpkins swell with orange-ribbed grace
and squirrel chatters praise for scattered nuts?
do you know what the earth meditates upon in autumn?
The beginning (and ending) question is from Pablo Neruda’s El Libro de las Preguntas.
It’s haibun Monday at dVerse Poets where we’re writing about insects!
I bounce along, riding the lawnmower around our farm site. It’s windy and warm today…excellent weather for drying the crops for the imminent harvest. We’re glad for the silage we’ve already chopped for our livestock. Cows galumph toward the fence when I stop to toss the fallen apples I gathered for them.
While mowing in our grove, I am discouraged to note many trees show signs of stress. Both ash and spruce host invasive insects that bore into exposed spaces in their bark. An epidemic infestation across the nation appears to have arrived here. Time will tell if it’s lethal for these trees we planted many years ago and nurtured to a protective and glorious expanse.
While fretting about insects destroying our grove, I’m surprised by a singular monarch butterfly that flits ahead of me, leading the way. It flutters into my vision as I pass by again and again. Like a shimmer of hope, it gently clings to a leafy branch. Stunning creature with delicate legs and designer wings sent to lighten my mind in a moment of serendipity.
Chevrefeuille at Carpe Diem Haiku Kai offers us a beautiful haiku by renowned Japanese poet Matsuo Basho to “photoshop” (tweak) a little. Here’s my attempt:
Link to Carpe Diem Haiku Kai where host, Chevrefeuille, invites us to “improve” on a classic haiku; re-write and make it look better (like a photo-shopped image).
autumn has come
visiting my ear on
a pillow of wind
Linking to Carpe Diem Haiku Kai… “aki no koe” is a Japanese kigo, seasonal word, that refers to autumn’s voice, the sound of wind through decaying leaves.
Joining Carpe Diem Haiku Kai‘s weekend challenge on sunflower theme. I wrote the prose, followed by a haiku from our host!
wild sunflower – photo by lynn
The sight of sunflowers warms my heart, although my farmer hubby says they’re a weed. I remember as a child planting a few sunflowers in the backyard on east side of detached garage. The plants grow faster than children and their sunny faces exude happiness bright as summer sun. When autumn comes, their smiles fade, petals dry, and seeds mature. Oh, what a joyous feast for the birds! Sparrows flutter and cling to droopy head to peck tasty seeds. We let them eat the raw seeds as we prefer the roasted, salted variety. Dad would have a bag along to ball games or car races where we’d leave striped shells scattered under the bleachers; shells sucked dry of salt until the tips of our tongues went numb. On vacation, I still thrill at roadside sightings of expansive fields of sunflowers; their golden heads tipped toward the sun. On my walks, spotting more diminutive wild versions in the ditches (NOT our fields) brings a smile to my face.
a poem in my pocket 
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