The bulge of summer

The bulge of summer gone

last night

in a flurry

the leaves gathered

herded

like a flock of dip stained sheep into corners of untidy gardens

under hedges of blackthorn spikes.

Now a place for beetles

to breathe slow

to play dead.

Winter crocuses naked

bending with no backbone

a blue botanical mistake.

Even the stars shiver

blink unsure

casting a weak shine on an empty field where slaughtered lambs once leapt

twisting in the air.

Only the young mothers remember that.

~

autumn

 

autumn

the shiver of drying reeds

before the wind

~

that autumn place

 

 

That place where a month ago the swallows suddenly left and my brother died. That place where my green valley became a swirling mist and the slow river grew a blanket over itself.

The heron hides.

That place where the bees burrow into the dry moss and I shake out the winter duvet.

I am collecting apples. Wrapping each one in newspaper and storing them in wooden boxes.

I sweep leaves into hills for the hedgehogs.

In the woods the birds still sing. They start early, flittering. After midday the twilight comes quickly and I think only autumn thoughts as I kick through the leaves and turn my face towards that grey cloud that I know will pass.

~

kissing

 

kissing

him at the station –

autumn

in

the

air

~

one

one leaf remains

stronger or weaker than the rest?

a passing child smiles

~

first sight

leaves fall…

 old house never noticed

before

~

walk

that autumn smell –

silence in the wooded walk –

even some in my head

~

suddenly autumn

icy puddle –

remembering squirming tadpoles

in her fishing net

~

Image courtesy Summitpost.org

excess

cool september day –

single wasp

has the apple tree

to

itself

~

catching sunbeams

butterfly basks

in

the

cool

autumn

sun –

whole garden to itself

~

Lovely image courtesy Eve Livesay. In the photo I didn’t take as I didn’t have my camera or phone, there would have been three Red Admiral’s sunning themselves on the rotting apples…

Made me smile 🙂