Friday, October 16, 2009

through the day

(peter scott canada geese coming to the marsh)

early this morning
i parted the curtains
and pressed my face against the cold glass.

at that moment,
a small flock of canada geese flew by the house
at window height.
heading north.
not quite a perfect "v" yet -
but at least they're talking!

the morning air has been edged with woodsmoke these days.
a small fire takes the edge off a cool beginning to the day.

in the nearby fields,
the corn has been cut down to stubble.
shades of tan and faded gold.

on lawns, sidewalks and streets,
leaves are drifting red, gold, and dry.
curled inwards like old hands
holding tightly onto the last rays of warm sunshine.

(karl heffner autumn evening on the thames)

a song of an autumn night

under the crescent moon a light autumn dew
has chilled the robe she will not change --
and she touches a silver lute all night,
afraid to go back to her empty room.

wang wei

23 comments:

alaine@éclectique said...

Lovely both, Heffner and Wang Wei. I love the bit about the geese; talking, at least.

Jinksy said...

That last poem is hauntingly beautiful - thanks for aharing. It captures the melancholy of the first photo to perfection.

steven said...

hi alaine - a lot of the geese have left now. it's getting just cold enough - below zero most nights now - for them to know that they need to head off to florida for the winter. when i get older i may do something very similar!! have a lovely evening. steven

steven said...

hello jinksy - they really do go hand-in-hand. the first picture hung in my nana's living room. when she flew away i was asked if i would like anything from her home. i chose that print because i could (and still can) rebuild her whole house (in my memory) and most of my memories of her in every detail from the location of that work. have a lovely day. steven

ellen abbott said...

'curled inwards like old hands
holding tightly onto the last rays of warm sunshine.' Lovely image steven.

Barry said...

I know it is getting trite to say this, but that photo of the geese is iconic, if not majestic.

The geese population is out of control and their droppings are causing much damage, but I was out for a run with Lindsay yesterday when a flight of geese came honking their way across the sky and I just had to stop and stare in awe.

Tess Kincaid said...

I love those first scents of chimney smoke in the early fall. Sigh.

Golden West said...

When she was quite old, my grandma let each of us grandkids choose something of hers. I chose two small hand carved wooden angel heads she and grandpa had purchased in Switzerland. It gave her great pleasure for the rest of her days to see each of us enjoying a treasured object that had had a place in her home.

The Weaver of Grass said...

The perfect view of autumn, steven. There is something so evocative about the cry of geese flying over as they move to new feeding grounds.

Susie Hemingway said...

A wonderful vision in words, I could be looking from my window here in the Lincolnshire Wolds at all you describe, you paint a lovely picture. I hope my Grandson Manu will have the best memories of here at "Hemingway" when he is grown and looking back like you.

You have built a truly beautiful blog.

Stacey J. Warner said...

I've been "seeing" you around and felt it was time to stop by,

Your blog is beautiful.

have a wonderful day...

Stacey J. Warner said...

oh and btw, I just saw David Sylvian's recored on your blog...love him sine the JAPAN days. I was going to reference him in my post today but figured no one would them...LOL!

steven said...

stacey j warner - i've been listening and reading and watching everything david sylvian has done since i first heard "gentlemen take polaroids". i love his creative work, his spiritual work is resonant for me, and i love a man with a beautiful voice who throws it up against the wall of brilliant musicians of all types with whom he associates!!! have a peaceful evening. steven

steven said...

oh and stacy j warner - welcome to this place. i've met astonishing talented and beautiful people here. you'll fit right in!!! steven

steven said...

hello susie!!! what a fantabulous pic of you with your comment!!! i know lincolnshire a little bit but obviously not enough as i didn't realize there were wolds there. i'll be nipping by your blog this weekend for a look-see. have a lovely evening. steven

steven said...

hi weaver - these boys - the neighbourhood boys - have been flying back and forth between the farmer's ponds for a month and a half now. lots of practice!!! i'm pretty sure they've left now. i'll miss them. steven

steven said...

hey golden west, thanks for this. there's something in a small unique gift that drives us deep inside the experience of being children in a loving home. parent or grandparent. i'm not that old - early fifties - but i'm wondering what my kids will want to remember me by. steven

steven said...

oh willow when i ride down my street in the morning and smell the woodstoves it's all i can do to not stop and - just stop. i grew up on coal smoke in england, but woodsmoke is equally evocative. steven

steven said...

hey barry - i'm right alongside you. the geese pollution problem is serious in my community as well. but seeing them is so emotional, so haunting, so tied into memories of that print. have a lovely evening. steven

steven said...

thankyou so much for that comment ellen. the words came to me as i thought of the coloured dried leaves tumbling end-over-end down the street. steven

Loren said...

What a great Fall collage, steven.

steven said...

hi loren, thankyou. steven

Crafty Green Poet said...

I love geese, I really like Peter Scott's paintings too. Lovely post