Happy first day of autumn to you. Fall is a special season, a time of reflection and a time of anticipation.
Yesterday saw quite a bit of activity at my small bird bath in the container garden. First, a beautiful yellow bird, it may have been a goldfinch, stopped in the crepe myrtle. He eyed the fountain, lured there by the sound of falling water. Then a blue jay hopped into the bird bath, splashing, jumping up and down with joy and yelling, “Whee!” (Well, not really.)
Next came a wren. Now, a wren dresses in subdued colors but his personality is anything but. He has the cheeriest song and the perkiest tail of just about any bird. The sight or sound of a wren is enough to brighten the whole day. And then, a downy woodpecker lit in the crepe myrtle above the bird bath.
A whole lot of feather activity usually heralds a change and maybe they were celebrating the arrival of a new season. I haven’t seen any robins for a while. I wonder if they’ve already flown south. My brother in Minnesota said the hummingbirds have left his area. Soon, they’ll be leaving here too.
This is a little poem I wrote a few years ago. I wonder how it would sound set to music?
Autumn Song by Blanche Day Manos
The melody of autumn is played on muted strings;
A symphony of wind and trees, the song September sings.
The rhythm of the autumn rain is somnolent and slow;
From softened skies, a lullaby in summer’s afterglow.
By the way, the fourth Darcy and Flora work in progress takes place in July, not autumn. However, it’s a different kind of July, one with lots of thunderstorms, lightning, rain, and, of course, plenty of mysterious happenings.
That is a beautiful poem, Blanche. It reminds me of my mother’s writing. The birds are collecting here to fly south soon too. The sky is filled with Canada Geese and about a thousand of them land on a lake nearby. They sleep there for the night and then in the morning they head out to the farmers’ fields because there is a lot of grain left over after harvesting. So, as Jesus said, they don’t sow seed or reap but their heavenly Father feeds them!
You said that so beautifully, Sharon. That was especially lovely about the geese. That’s the kind of picture to treasure in my heart and think about as I go to sleep at night. Thanks for writing and for the nice compliment. I hope you have your mom’s poems. Have you thought about putting them in a book?
Love your poem! We don’t see much “traditional” poetry these days!
Thanks so much, Judy. I’m glad you enjoyed my poem. I love to paint word pictures.
I loved your poem! I, too, love autumn…
Thank you, Jeanne. It was kind of you to write. I hope you have a happy autumn!