maple buds unfurl
warmed fists uncurl…spring
wears vibrant green gloves
octoburr moonrise
08 Oct 2025 17 Comments
in Uncategorized Tags: autumn, fall, geese, harvest, leaves, moon
music of mysterious season
every extra-ordinary evening
when fall’s awe-calling and
autumn’s beat thrum-drums.
dry cornstalks quiver in crisp
whispers of sweater weather as
honky geese migrate late, and
de-fruited trees leave with a sigh.
orange pumpkin planets shimmer
eerily in phantom-tastical gleams
of the ghostly harvest moon-beams
that pierce clouds’ flimsy shroud.
Join dVerse Poets where Dora invites us to “trip the October light fantastic.”
decadence
04 Nov 2024 2 Comments
in haiku Tags: autumn, fire, leaves, maple, rain
rain soaks cold branches
red maple stripped bare of leaves
autumn’s fire quenched
falling for fall
21 Sep 2024 7 Comments
in villonnet Tags: autumn, bees, butterflies, cats, corn, cows, fall, leaves, pumpkins, wind
A Villonnet is a hybrid of the Villanelle and the Sonnet. It has the Iambic Pentameter of both, but holds the four-stanza/line structure of the sonnet, while utilizing the two-line rhyme nature of the villanelle. The final stanza replaces the sonnet couplet with a typical villanelle tercet. Linking this villonnet to Grace’s prompt at dVerse Poets pub. I was NOT going to write about fall, but here it is…
______________
i sit on deck to soak in warm sunshine
this end of summer’s glow suits my skin fine
fat cats watch scene from shade and lounge around
piped wind chimes’ gentle song is only sound
forgotten apple falls from top of tree
while butterflies migrate, bees cap honey
red leaves whirl past as if in joyful dance
a celebration of autumn’s last chance
ripe orange pumpkins lie hidden in field
as drying crops will soon their harvest yield
pheasants and deer will feast upon the corn
bred cows will glean before blizzards are born
today, september stays my favorite month
until the wind turns cold out of the north
then i will dream with birds of drifting south
_______________
NOTE: Line 1 is to be repeated as lines 8 and 13, and line 4 is repeated as lines 12 and 15. I neglected to repeat any lines, not a true villonnet…may have to rework sometime!
weathering predictions
19 Sep 2023 24 Comments
in fold Tags: autumn, cattle, corn, fall, fires, geese, leaves, school
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.
______________
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
iris in vincent’s eye
19 Feb 2020 14 Comments
in ekphrastic Tags: bulb, garden, irises, leaves, spring, van gogh
i begin as
dry ivory bulb
asleep in deep dark
until warmth stirs from
far away as sunshine
whispers, “come to me”
i stretch
uncurling in
moist brick soil
insects tickling my
pale skin as it peels off
with sigh, “love, arise!”
i reach up
to throw off the
heaviness of garden
bed’s blanket and am
blinded by yellow light
crying, “it’s spring!”
i grow long
sabered leaves
of vibrant green to
drink in cool rain and
shelter tender buds with
promise, “we’ll dance!
i bloom in
profuse blue hues
from cerulean to indigo
unfurling petaled banners
to reveal frilly stamens and
sing, “behold life’s beauty!”
i fade as
sun sets in gold;
plucked from roots
glory slowly wanes as
flowered energy wilts with
a moan, “remember me.”
irises by van gogh
still life spice
27 Oct 2019 4 Comments
in classical haiku Tags: apple, cinnamon, leaves, rain, spice
fall smell of wet leaves
~ cinnamon apple slices ~
refreshed after rain
Link to Carpe Diem‘s weekend challenge to write to still life image above.
do you know?
22 Oct 2019 31 Comments
in quote, Uncategorized, worship Tags: apples, autumn, cornstalks, leaves, pumpkins, squirrel, tumbleweeds, wind
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.
frost poetry season
11 Oct 2019 2 Comments
in magnetic Tags: fall, frost, grass, leaves, seed, vine
The season’s first frost woke me early so playing magnetic poetry online …
seasonal palette
22 Sep 2019 5 Comments
in classical haiku Tags: artist, autumn, leaves, scarlet, sumac
Carpe Diem is on a quest for a masterpiece haiku at the start of autumn…
master Artist paints
tips of sumac scarlet red;
hints of autumn change
freeimages.com
prairie winds pantoum
15 Mar 2019 17 Comments
in pantoum Tags: fields, grasses, laundry, leaves, tumbleweeds, wind, windmill
perpetual prairie wind moans lonely lowing sound
in search of mischief, gust scatters dry leaves along
on midnight prowl, gale must howl like lost hound
across empty fields, wind sings a melancholy song
in search of mischief, gust scatters dry leaves along
seeds fly, tree branches sway, wild grasses bend,
across empty fields, wind sings a melancholy song
laundry flaps on lines, blows off, hung up again, again
seeds fly, tree branches sway, wild grasses bend,
rusty windmill squeaks, giant wind turbines hum
laundry flaps on lines, blows off, hung up again, again
tumbleweeds twirl, dust devils whirl, grasshoppers strum
rusty windmill squeaks, giant wind turbines hum
on midnight prowl, gale must howl like lost hound
tumbleweeds twirl, dust devils whirl, grasshoppers strum
perpetual prairie wind moans lonely lowing sound
Submitting pantoum poem to dVerse Poets pub with thanks to Gina for explaining this form and Victoria for added encouragement!
final call
11 Nov 2018 Leave a comment
in haiku Tags: basement, cricket, leaves
“Cricket” is a classical “kigo” (season word) used in haiku…link to CDHK
leaves crunch underfoot
last cricket chirps in basement
where is he hiding?
image – pixabay
a poem in my pocket 
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