As autumn settles in
wasps are sluggish
yet still annoying;
fruit flies still hover
and are yet to feel
the cool of autumn,
playgrounds are quieter
as schools absorb our children,
golden leaves drift from elms,
yet to fill the corners and curbs
The air breathes sweater cool.
Calendar dictum remains in summer,
autumn equinox only days away
These cool days prepare the world
for the beauty of real autumn.
“And all at once, summer collapsed into fall.”
~ Oscar Wilde
Only a rocking chair
wood and varnish
teeth marks on a rocker
from a puppy
to sit in it
close my eyes
rock gently
memories slide
to the old black rocking chair
with the wide seat
in our living room
to the big solid oak
rocking chair with
embroidered head rest and seat to
the small neat dark wood rocking chair
of my grandparents home ~
gentle memories in
only a rocking chair
wood and varnish
teeth marks from a puppy.
“There is a peacefulness, an air of reflection, about a
rocking chair that attaches to no other moving object.”
~ Wallis Simpson, socialite
(1896 ~ 1986)
The story we tell ourselves
at the end of a day can be
our saving grace.
Where was the bright spot
in the day just passed?
That one flicker that filled
a moment or an hour
with joy and excitement
to feel the goodness of others
or the warmth of the sun after a rain
or the broad smile of the girl at the till.
Yes they pass as each moment passes,
but the memory remains to shine
in darkened corners at the end of the day.
“At the end of the day, give up your worries
and give thanks for the journey.
~ Ben Vereen, actor
A narrowed life from the outside
~ from the inside a broad expanse
of story and imagination;
of chatter and discussion,
of viewing the world as it is
~ always a new direction
for mind and feet to travel.
“What lies behind you and what lies in front of you,
pales in comparison to what lies inside of you.”
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson,
philosopher, poet and essayist
(1803 ~ 1882)
The land is watered from
dawn to dusk and into the night.
If I close my eyes and listen
I am on Vancouver Island,
yet with a fresher touch of cool.
“Light - dews - breezes - bloom - and freshness; not one of which
…has yet been perfected on the canvas of any painter in the world.”
~ John Constable, painter
(1776 - 1837)
I like to notice the world around me,
bees nuzzling sunflowers,
thunderstorms being built in the sky,
rain pelting down or in a mist,
glorious sunsets on the prairies,
colourful tiny bird houses in a tree,
snow settling soft and gentle,
wind raking through the trees
prairie flowers bright, small and delicate
but today I saw new sight:
three geese on an ordinary city sidewalk.
not Canada geese but
squat, waddling, brash and bossy
geese with insistent honking that rivalled
their much larger cousins.
No pausing for a photo op either!
Upon inquiry:
“they are from a goose farm!”
“You can find pictures anywhere. It’s simply a matter
of noticing things and organizing them.”
~ Elliott Erwitt, photographer
