Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Window

Blue sky reflected
In warbled window glass;
Leaves begin to turn 
Brown and orange
Against the old stone wall
Cold and bright day.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Sky Splashes

Fall flowers brighten the roadside
Like pieces of the summer's sky, 
Fallen in splashes dotted with sunshine.

Encouraging us to face winter with joy;
Proving that the common is beautiful
That beauty is all around us.

Monday, October 29, 2012

Thanks


When the flowers of summer
Have gone, 
Along the roadside I find 
Pyracantha
Reaching their red-berried branches
To a deep blue sky
In gratitude for the cool
Cool days of autumn
Eucharistos -- thanksgiving.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Grass

In the fall, the grass is white with fluff
Little "parachutey" stuff;
And blowing in the wind, each blade a wand,
A waving flag, like nature's hand 
Bids summer gone.

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Open Rose

Red fades to pink,
To purple,
To wine,
Like a summer sunset 
Changes and is gone.
Petals softer than satin
More fragile than the skin
Of Grandmother's hands.
Open wide to the world,
Free and generous,
To give its last essence, 
Its last golden beauty to 
My day. 

Friday, October 26, 2012

Tea Time

Pretty china tea pot
Come on down from your shelf!
I'll fill you up with tea, hot,
For my friend and myself.

Pretty little tea pot
You hold just enough for two
To drink a cup of tea, a spot,
While we chat as true friends do.

Thursday, October 25, 2012

Lobelia

Clip the last summer blossoms.
Take down the blue
Glass hummingbird feeders.
Tonight a cold front,
Maybe a freeze.
Rain is falling,
Wind blowing,
Winter hovers near;
Tries to frighten me, but
Each season has its own beauty
I love them all.
Come on!

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Problem

Sorry, friends and neighbors
My lawn will not be nice
The leaves will not be harvested
Oh no!

My rake is twinned with glory vines
Beside the garden fence
I cannot, won't, be moving it 
At all!

It might rob those vines of a place to grow
Deprive them of support,
And I could never do that to them
No, no!

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Pecan Pie

Grandma made pies like this, 
Topped with fresh pecans.
Her crust floated and made 
A layer of 
Sticky,
Yummy,
Gooey,
Sweet
Custard between 
Buttery flaky layers.
Enough to make you shout 
Hallelujah! 

Monday, October 22, 2012

Colors

Green, the stem and leaves,
Orange, red, purple, and white, 
Yellow mellow, and yellow bright.
Colors of fall, glorious sight!

What if drained of all colors,
Nature happened in gray
Flowers bloomed and blossomed like clay.
Brown, black, or rust ruled the day?

What if trees turned plain old brown;
Would our hearts rise up in glee?
If pumpkins were never orange, would we
So love the autumn that we now see?



Sunday, October 21, 2012

Well-Preserved



Mama taught me canning skills 
When I was just a child
We picked our fruit, gathered
From garden, orchard or woodland wild.

Peaches, pears, and apricots, 
Grapes, sweet corn and beans,
We washed the jars and filled them;
The canner chugged and puffed out steam.

Now I am getting older fast;
I hope that like jelly and jam I'll be
Well-preserved, and keeping strong
Till the Good Lord comes after me.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Pear Harvest

The old red Ford truck waits;
We fill our buckets and tubs with
Hard yellow Kieffer pears
From a spreading gnarled tree,

Planted years ago by some homesteader.
We owe him or her
Who dug the hole
Spread the sapling's roots 
In the waiting soil, 
Who watered,
Who pruned so we could harvest
Sweet fruit.

Friday, October 19, 2012

Wool

Sheep grazing sedately in a grassy pasture
Show no signs of distress
At having been robbed of their wool.
Their missing fleeces dyed and dried
Wait for buyers in the fading sunlight
Along a cozy shelf near a window.
Do they peep out and dream,
Or sleeplessly count their sheep?

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Pumpkins

Autumn sunshine lights 
Pumpkins waiting in wobbly rows 
To be chosen by eager children 
For Jack-o-lantern carving, 
For ghostly October nights.
Parents wait for pumpkin pies, 
And sweet nut-filled breads 
For times with family and friends
Around Thanksgiving dinner tables.

Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Harvest

In the warm sunshine,
Wheat lies in bundles waiting
To be ridded of its straw,
Cleaned of its chaff, ground into flour,
Kneaded  into loaves of crusty bread
To eat with hot soup
On a cold winter's night. 

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

October Day

                                                                           
Ho, a chilly day!
Fall at her best
Summer’s been squeezed
Through a cider press.

On with your sweater
Come on—Let’s run
Till we’re finally warmed
By the autumn sun!

We’ll climb the pear tree
Gather them in
Baskets and buckets,
Boxes and bin.

Gather those pumpkins.
Carve us a “Jack”.
Cut golden sunflowers
Hang ‘em on the rack.

There’s soup for supper
With fresh hot bread.
Watch the orange moon rise
Then scurry off to bed.

Monday, October 15, 2012

Blooming

Little girl, you're blooming
Your eyes are shining bright.
Your mother surely wonders
When she tucks you in at night,

At your beauty, how it strengthens,
How it changes day by day;
Like a flower buds and blossoms
In a most miraculous way!

S



Sunday, October 14, 2012

Allergy Time!


Flowers for Mama
Who can resist?
I picked them myself
With a twist of my wrist.

Sweet yellow flowers
A vase I will need
For out in the pasture
I found this Sneeze-weed!

Saturday, October 13, 2012

October Roses

October roses bloom against the white
Wall of the house
Where the afternoon sun lingers
Where the brightness is reflected
Even on chilly mornings
Buds stir and open
Cold rain drips from the leaves
Till frost browns the pink edges
Till a night's wind strews the fragile petals
After they have had their autumn day.

Friday, October 12, 2012

Little Pioneer Girl

Nothing is more pleasing in a child's small hand,
More precious than a treasure from a foreign land.,
Than an oval chicken's egg found in the waving grass.
White as snow, as fragile and as smooth as glass.

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Stirring

Toiling away at your work, 
Little sweet girl
Stirring and beating up something 
To eat girl.
Measure the flour, the sugar, the meal,
Add eggs, beat in butter and milk, 
Stir until
Your arms are weary, 
your muscles are tired,
The batter so smooth makes flapjacks inspired
To serve to your guests, your family, 
And friends.
And brings out those smiles with 
the pleasure it sends.

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Evening Glory

As the evening's softy falling
Pale green white blooms
Begins to unfurl
Waiting for darkness 
To open, to unleash
A musky scent that moths come to 
Moths that flutter in the shadows
Hiding from moonlight
Come to taste the blossom's nectar 
Like syrupy languid music
Heard in the midnight. 

Monday, October 8, 2012

Daisy Fleabane

Wildflowers in the pasture
Wave their bright faces 
In the waning summer sun
Bud, bloom, stretch, fade, fall,
So fleeting, so full of life
Then gone
Their days few
 Swiftly counted
Soon past, like ours.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Prairie

as summer ends -
cows graze across pasture lands -
ranch lands, prairie lands
ornamented with sunflowers, sneeze weed, 
and goldenrod,
home to swooping meadowlarks and red-tailed hawks,
and punctuated 
with 
soli-
tary 
trees.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

Mums

Chrysanthemums are blooming
In every size and shade
Sturdy and bright,
Catching the light 
Of autumn's sun.

Friday, October 5, 2012

Asian Lily

Like one of Seraphine's visions,
Fantastical stems sprout spear-like leaves,
Like bendable sword blades.
Pale yellow buds burst awake
In sunshine and blood colors
A spray of fireworks 
Springing from their centers
In wild disarray.
It may be that a flower cannot be fantasized  
That could outdo God's creative genius.

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Crape Mrytle

Pink pompoms in the fall parade
Summer's late sweetness
Autumn wind and rain tip-taps
Your branches against my window.
When I look out next morning,
You are still smiling.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Alpaca Do

I have my hair done 
At the nicest salons
My nails at a French beautique.

My lashes are my 
Signature. They flutter
When I speak.

Envy me my fine coiffure
My locks so stylish,
So silky and sleek!

My brows, a fashion statement,
They say, "Like Wow!
Like totally unique!"








Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Banana Butterfly

Dainty diner,
Feasting on a speckled banana 
Was it spots like your own,
The lovely yellow color,
The scent of syrupy sweetness,
Or the soft cushion for a landing 
That drew you to this perch?
Or did you only want your 
Photo taken?


Monday, October 1, 2012

Bougainvillea

Bougainvillea
Your name intrigues as much as your
Bracts of purple 
Bougainvillea
Bouquet from a country estate?
A Villa?
Norwegians call you "trillingblomst."
Can it mean "thrilling bloom?"
Africans call you "Papierblom"
Blooms of paper?
Bougainvillea
Your flowers are tiny bottles 
With white fluted edges.
Your stems stiff
Your leaves a lively green
On vines that run and climb 
Like busy children.
Bougainvillea