I Attempt to Capture Autumn in a Poem

Words as pictures and other mysteries + a free holiday reading list

Recent treescapes around my Seattleland home.

We Deserve Nothing Yet Receive Everything

Winter weather awaits. Wrapped in family

blankets deckside, light breezes caress my

face here in my solitary chair while busy

nuthatches leave their seeds to zoom and dart.

Gulls squawk the morning awake.

Gold and peridot tip the season’s last

leaves, above them an opening through

impatient, scuttling clouds.

Pungent tea warms while my eyes are

fixed on waning, silvered sun against the

trees, all gift.

All God.¹

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My sister was visiting from California recently, traveling through Seattle on her way to connect with friends for an excursion to the East Coast. They were going to “see the colors” in New England on a bus tour, visiting the cluster of states in the upper right hand corner of the U.S. Those states are all in nearly the same latitude—47— as my Seattleland backyard. And I wondered to myself about flying across the country to see the similar colors that adorn the roadways, parks and yards right here in the upper left hand corner of the Pacific Northwest.

She texted photos after their trip of the remarkable colors against perfect blue skies. Postcard-worthy, I’ll grant you, and while they reflected the amber, bronze, garnet and gold adorning the glorious trees, a glance to my own backyard revealed a nearly identical show.

Neither photos nor words can capture what we see with the naked eye, especially in the Fall. My sister and I were born and raised in Southern California, where she still lives, and the changing seasons are nearly impossible to detect. Weathermen have a tough go at it; how many ways can you say, “Today’s sunshine will be followed by more blue skies and sunshine”?

Given my years of So Cal weather experience, I am in continuous amazement at the colors each Autumn in shrub and tree and garden. My attempts to pencil my thoughts on the page and capture the stunning show never end.

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After Autumn, the Holiday Season

I realize it may appear a tad early to mention the holidays at this juncture when we haven’t even observed All Hallow’s Eve yet. However, I wanted to offer readers a proactive way to set their intentions surrounding a time of year that can assault us on every front.

Also….

I will be releasing my own small twelve-poem volume next week on All Hallow’s Eve. Emmanuel Poems: Verses for the Holidays will be available as an ebook via Kindle for $4.99 and as a printable download on my author website for $5.99. Stay tuned for that!

As always, I so appreciate everyone in the Poetry & Made Things community—it is a gift to be connected here, albeit virtually. Your presence is a boon to my soul. I pray you find a moment or two of glorious Autumn splendor wherever you are and come back to share with us in the Comments to tell us what you saw.

Also, please consider subscribing and if you find my work of value today and can drop a tip in the Tip Jar, you’ll have my humble thanks.

Until next time~

Jody

1. Readers who follow me on Substack Notes may recognize this poem.