a coarse wrapping paper
i uncover
with my ink-smudged hands
i expect nothing but bleakness,
faded maple leaves, deadheaded flowers
in this red poppy box
night descends by 5 pm
darkness becomes a womb,
a church, smell of incense for prayers for the dead-
(less 1 hour, 30 candles)
yet on first day, flicker of frost
whitest of fluff rains down
this is nature's quartet: winter
an aperture
where the soul song of maple trees
trills with cries of the geese & gulls-
Posted for dVerse Poets Pub - November Poetics, hosted by Sanaa Rizvi. We had our first frost in November 1st. Thanks for your visits and comments.
We have had this type of November sky mostly, but it cleared up today... love how you described the frost coming as something of a relief with its white fluff..
ReplyDeleteOh, I’m familiar with ‘coarse wrapping paper’ skies, Grace, and like you I ‘expect nothing but bleakness’. A beautiful capture of a dark and dreary month. My favourite lines:
ReplyDelete‘this is nature's quartet: winter
an aperture
where the soul song of maple trees
trills with cries of the geese & gulls’.
you can sing the seasons! Pure poetry here in every line
ReplyDelete"winter
an aperture"
I will remember this line always
I love these lines:
ReplyDelete"this is nature's quartet: winter
an aperture
where the soul song of maple trees
trills with cries of the geese & gulls-"
This is incredibly exquisite, Grace! Such a wonderful natural flow to this poem. I especially love; "winter an aperture where the soul song of maple trees trills with cries of the geese & gulls." Yes!💝
ReplyDeleteI like how you term it as an 'aperture'.
ReplyDeleteLovely final stanza! Such a quietly mystical poem.
ReplyDeleteOh Grace! That last stanza is wonderful- From the bleakness of the maples to their soul song - lovely!
ReplyDeleteMost of our geese are gone, sadly, leaving only crows and an occasional hawk. You nailed November, Grace. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThe change from day to night like Autumn to Winter, inescapable whether we like it or not
ReplyDeleteDid you give the cost of the extended darkness in candles? Ow, yeah. So much disappointment in the opening then the light of snow... I love winter as an aperture; some acceptance perhaps.
ReplyDeleteI like your referring to the season as being in a red poppy box. Great metaphor!
ReplyDeleteVery interesting the tantrums of Autumn leaving
ReplyDeleteStay safe
Much💙love
'night descends by 5 pm
ReplyDeletedarkness becomes a womb,
a church, smell of incense for prayers for the dead-'
You've captured the inky-black melancholy of Autumn so well here, Grace. Thank Goodness there is still poetry in it!
"The soul song of maple trees" is so beautiful! I also like the imagery of darkness becoming a womb. So much to uncover in this poem, it is mystical!
ReplyDeleteAmazing Grace!
ReplyDeleteLike how you describe darkness as in womb...
November cold brings frost and snow. I liked this line...
ReplyDeleteyet on first day, flicker of frost
whitest of fluff rains down
We're having unseasonably warm days with sunshine this week. No doubt snow is in the offing, but we can treasure these days as they come to us. Your poem is a beautiful capture of Novembers!
ReplyDeleteSplendid writing, Grace, and I particularly like "darkness becomes a womb, a church, smell of incense for prayers for the dead."
ReplyDeleteBeautiful writing Grace and those last lines are stunning.
ReplyDeleteOh so lovely .... as a musician, these words resonated deeply ~ 'this is nature's quartet: winter an aperture' ~ thank you.
ReplyDelete