A Fondness for Bugs
Come along with me on your golden carpet of petals.
There you sit so still and full of pride
evident you are ready for a ride.
Atop a pot glowing with a yellow hue
your greenish color blends right in too.
Still you stay, for the journey from front yard to back,
I wait silently for you to make your attack.
Attack the grass, where I’d normally find you in your green slum,
but instead I see you like my chrysanthemum.
Were you terrified as we traveled? I don’t know.
I was happy you stayed in place though.
Oh, little grasshopper, your friend is now grown,
he doesn’t live here anymore, for he has flown.
A Summer Fountain
The bubbling of my fountain will soon be still.
Young sparrows will no longer visit for a bath on this hill.
The water will cease, too cold to flow.
Old Orioles won’t come by to give me a show.
My windows will close, I won’t hear the sound.
Although I will carefully listen and take a look around.
The yard becomes barren as my winged friends start to leave.
I’ll see you again in the spring; This is more than hope but what I believe.
Today is Poetry Friday. The two poems I wrote for this week feature observations from my yard as summer gives way to fall. The sun sets faster, darkness moves in more quickly, and there is a chill in the air. I am an observer of the seasonal signs or or the student of phenology. Aldo Leopold was the consummate phenologist recording his monthly observations in A Sand County Almanac (1949, 2020). I’ve long noticed seasonal change but rarely have written about it. This week I took a chance to do just that.
Besides Leopold’s book, I’ve been reading several others. One is called the Poet’s Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry by Kim Addonizio and Dorrianne Laux, 1997. I have been searching for some guidelines for poetry despite the beauty of this form of writing is that there are few “rules” one has to follow. Still, as I self edit some of my poems in hope of digitally publishing them, I want to make sure I do not have any grievous errors. In any case, while the book has offered few, in any, rules, it has been enlightening and further supported my efforts in writing about what I know – in this case – my yard. There are also some beautiful examples of poetry in the book and ideas (prompts, if you will) for writing too. I’m not sure this book is in publication anymore, but I think I will start looking for a good/great used copy to add to my personal writing library. Yes! It is that good!
Today is Poetry Friday! Thanks to Matt at Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme for hosting and sharing his books with us this week! Please check his site for some awesome work.
The Apples in My Orchard 
There is so much beauty here: a “golden carpet of petals,” bathing sparrows, and even one of my favorite birds, a Baltimore Oriole. Thanks for sharing!
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Thank you!
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This right here: The sun sets faster, darkness moves in more quickly, and there is a chill in the air. I love all the seasons and what they hold for us. You two poems give me a glimpse of your part of the country.
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Joan, I am so sorry for my late reply – a week is too long. Anyway, I appreciate your comments. I am finding that my sense of place often comes out in my writing. Take Care!
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I adore the odes to the natural world. even insects – I often write of cicadas as they have such great symbolic meaning to me, stemming from childhood. I miss their sound as the fall approaches – a feeling you captured so well in your “A Summer Fountain.” Your poems are so enchanting, full of light and even whimsy, as in the grasshopper ride – and “your green slum” is too good!
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Fran, Thanks so much for your thoughtful comments. I appreciate them so much! I have to learn more about circadas – they seem to fascinate a lot of people. Take Care!
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I agree with Fran about the grasshopper ride as a special thought. Thanks for sharing the book title also.
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Carol, Thank for stopping by! Yes, I am still reading the poetry book; it is chock full of ideas and inspriation! I would recommend checking it out – cheap on Kindle if you have the app. Take care!
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