Poetry Sunday: In October by Bliss Carman

Now is the time when the woods are at their most colorful. The trees are in their glory, showing off brighter colors after a summer of wearing green. It doesn't last long; enjoy it while it does. 

In October

by Bliss Carman

Now come the rosy dogwoods,
The golden tulip-tree,
And the scarlet yellow maple,
To make a day for me.
The ash-trees on the ridges,
The alders in the swamp,
Put on their red and purple
To join the autumn pomp.
The woodbine hangs her crimson
Along the pasture wall,
And all the bannered sumacs
Have heard the frosty call.
Who then so dead to valor
As not to raise a cheer,
When all the woods are marching
In triumph of the year?

Comments

  1. David M. Gascoigne,October 9, 2022 at 5:49 AM

    Indeed the scarlets and gold are transient, but they are very beautiful for a while. They are almost at their peak around here.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersOctober 9, 2022 at 10:40 AM

      I grew up in a place that had brilliant fall colors and I miss that about it - if little else. Now my world is mostly green year-round and I read poems about fall colors to remember.

      Delete
  2. Deb Nance at ReaderbuzzOctober 9, 2022 at 11:56 AM

    Since I've lived in the same place south of Houston for my entire life, I've always wondered what a real fall would be like. I find it best in poetry.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersOctober 9, 2022 at 12:11 PM

      True colorful autumns are glorious! I am so happy to have experienced them in my earlier life and to have those memories now that I am relegated to this green, green world.

      Delete
    2. AlanaOctober 9, 2022 at 6:06 PM

      My husband and I took a fall foliage drive (we live in the Southern Tier of New York State) and the color is progressing nicely. Today we didn't have much sun and the tree colors were muted, but once the sun comes out, I know it's going to be a "wow". The maples look to be spectacular this year. Sadly, our ashes are succumbing to a blight that may well delegate most all of them to Tree Heaven along with the American Elm and Chestnut. I should publish some pictures Thursday for Thursday Tree Love. Alana ramblinwitham

      Delete
    3. Dorothy BordersOctober 9, 2022 at 7:19 PM

      I'd love to see those pictures.

      Delete
  3. Lark October 9, 2022 at 6:32 PM

    I love all the colors and hues of fall leaves. It's too bad they last for such a short time. Another great poem!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersOctober 9, 2022 at 7:20 PM

      It really catches the transitory nature of fall colors, doesn't it?

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Poetry Sunday: Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver

How about we share another Mary Oliver poem? After all, you can never have too many of those. In this one, the poet seems to acknowledge that it is often hard to simply live in and enjoy the moment, perhaps because we are afraid it can't last. She urges us to give in to that moment and fully experience the joy. Although "much can never be redeemed, still, life has some possibility left." Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind. And much can never be redeemed. Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world. It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is no...
Read more

The Investigator by John Sandford: A review

Image
  I have read a few of John Sandford's books in the Prey series featuring Lucas Davenport. This book is a literal offspring of that series. It's the first in a series featuring Davenport's adopted daughter Letty Davenport. Letty is in her mid-20s and a graduate of Stanford. She works for a U.S. senator named Christopher Colles in a desk job but she's bored with her assignments. Then the senator offers her a chance to go into the field as a liaison between his office and the Department of Homeland Security.  In her first assignment in that position, she is sent to Texas along with DHS investigator John Kaiser to try to find out what is happening in regard to thefts of crude oil. The senator is not so concerned about the lost oil but wants to know where the money from its sale is going. Who is selling the oil and what they are doing with the profits? The suspicion is that a particularly nasty militia group led by a woman is involved. Letty and Kaiser head out to Texas, de...
Read more

Poetry Sunday: Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman

You probably remember poet Amanda Gorman from her appearance at the inauguration of President Biden. She read her poem "The Hill We Climb" on that occasion. After the senseless slaughter in Uvalde this week, she was inspired to write another poem which was published in The New York Times. It seemed perfect for the occasion and so I stole it in order to feature it here, just in case you didn't get a chance to read it in the Times . Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman Everything hurts, Our hearts shadowed and strange, Minds made muddied and mute. We carry tragedy, terrifying and true. And yet none of it is new; We knew it as home, As horror, As heritage. Even our children Cannot be children, Cannot be. Everything hurts. It’s a hard time to be alive, And even harder to stay that way. We’re burdened to live out these days, While at the same time, blessed to outlive them. This alarm is how we know We must be altered — That we must differ or die, That we must triumph or try. ...
Read more