Autumn Shows its Face

For Lillian’s prompt at dVerse Poets Pub. a double sestet and a loop poem. I have chosen the letters D, E, F, H, G.I.


Autumn Shows Its Face

Indian summer shows its face in colored leaves.
Hibernating animals and blue skies,
Golden pumpkins in the fields,
Foraging squirrels and birds.
Equinox will divide the season –
Dew turns into frost.

Deciduous trees let loose their leaves
Enraging OCD lawn owners.
Fresh frosty air reddens cheeks.
Golden flowers bloom glorifying ditches.
Holly and cedar adorn themselves with berries
Indian summer shows its face in colored leaves.

public domain image

51 Comments (+add yours?)

  1. Vivian Zems
    Sep 13, 2018 @ 20:01:24

    Loving the face of this Indian summer. By the way, I read the last six lines first, the the top six lines next- but in reverse order (in the spirit of following the letters. It made for an enjoyable read!)

    Reply

  2. Arcadia Maria
    Sep 13, 2018 @ 20:13:10

    Great piece.

    Reply

  3. lifelessons
    Sep 13, 2018 @ 20:15:23

    I did a loop as well. Great minds think alike?

    Reply

  4. Beverly Crawford
    Sep 13, 2018 @ 20:32:29

    Beautiful forward and backward!

    Reply

  5. Grace
    Sep 13, 2018 @ 20:41:15

    Lush and vivid images of the autumn season. I love the way you wrote it up and down the alphabet Toni.

    Reply

  6. Susan St.Pierre
    Sep 13, 2018 @ 21:53:20

    Perfect description! Especially liked “Fresh frosty air reddens cheeks.”.

    Reply

  7. Gospel Isosceles
    Sep 13, 2018 @ 22:00:57

    Dumb question: what’s ACD?

    Reply

  8. sarahsouthwest
    Sep 14, 2018 @ 01:52:09

    Autumn images piled up like golden leaves. I like the mirroring form, and the looping back.

    Reply

  9. Jane Dougherty
    Sep 14, 2018 @ 07:35:57

    Can I ask a dumber question—what’s OCD? Love those leaves wherever they are 🙂

    Reply

    • kanzensakura
      Sep 14, 2018 @ 08:07:11

      Not dumb question. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

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      • Jane Dougherty
        Sep 14, 2018 @ 08:29:35

        I get it! Compulsive lawn tidying. They’re the same the world over.

        Reply

        • kanzensakura
          Sep 14, 2018 @ 19:33:48

          Yeppers. Our neighbor does the riding mower routine every 3 days.

          Reply

          • Jane Dougherty
            Sep 15, 2018 @ 03:08:32

            Wow! That’s dedication! We laugh at one of our neighbours who has done his lawn maybe four times since the spring. It looks pretty neat and arid to us, but it was a beautiful show of daisies and dandelions when he got to work on it.

            Reply

            • kanzensakura
              Sep 15, 2018 @ 10:31:14

              Lol. That isn’t dedication on the part of our neighbors, it is true OCD. They start the first of March and finally give it up at December 1 or the first snow, whichever comes first. Usually at first snow which is often the week before or after Christmas. He’ll be out there all wrapped up for winter chuffing about on inch long grass. Truly mental.

              Reply

              • Jane Dougherty
                Sep 15, 2018 @ 10:42:31

                Idiotic. I read somewhere about people being told they weren’t allowed to grow vegetables on their front gardens, that it had to be grass—vegetables is untidy. Was that a spoof story or do some neighbourhoods really impose that kind of stupid, short-sighted, mindlessness on home owners?

                Reply

                • kanzensakura
                  Sep 15, 2018 @ 11:11:58

                  There are neighborhoods that impose all manner of sanctions on people: no colored Christmas lights, no flags, no veggies, lawn grass can not be longer that so many inches, grass must be a certain kind, on and on. In many of these neighborhoods you only own the land directly under your house. I am glad we live in an old neighborhood (ca. 1950) where these sanctions do not exist. Otherwise. My veggie garden and the one across the way would not exist.

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                  • Jane Dougherty
                    Sep 15, 2018 @ 12:56:18

                    Strange system. Sounds very Big Brother! There are more important things to worry about than the height of your tomato plants!

                    Reply

                    • kanzensakura
                      Sep 15, 2018 @ 14:16:08

                      Yes there are but in the US, especially in the suburban urban areas, the communities are planned very carefully and often have amenities such as recreational centers with swimming pools, gyms, and party rooms. Some of these communities are often gated. They have a certain image to maintain and they do maintain it. House values frequently increase raher than decrease. If you buy into to one of these communities, you sign papers to abide by the neighborhood sanctions. It amazes me how many people do buy into these communities and enjoy them. I myself want my vegetable garden in the front yard and my water feature and terrace in the back where it is private. If you take your dog to the “bark park” you must clean up after it. It isn’t Big Brother at all. It is a certain lifestyle that certain people want. I myself do not want cars up on blocks, ratty yards, and such in my community because it makes my house look bad. but I don’t care about the garden or the huge colored light display at Christmas. I think it is rather fun.

                    • Jane Dougherty
                      Sep 15, 2018 @ 15:50:42

                      I understand. They used to have gated communities in the nineteenth century in England to keep the poor people out. It’s buying a quality of life that goes beyond your own personal plot. Good if it keeps the cars respectful, not so good if you have to sacrifice a wild garden. Nothing’s perfect I suppose.

  10. merrildsmith
    Sep 14, 2018 @ 07:59:41

    A lovely tribute to autumn. I like the looping back form.

    Reply

  11. lillian
    Sep 14, 2018 @ 08:07:47

    Oooooh I LOVE this, Toni! If I amy, I’ll call it an Inside-Out Alphabet Sestet! 🙂 And I love the loop with the same first and final line. You’ve provided wonderful images of the fall….and one that I chuckled at — never thought of those poor OCD mowers! Hah! So glad you A-B-Ced with me today! 🙂

    Reply

    • kanzensakura
      Sep 14, 2018 @ 08:12:28

      Thank you Miss Lillian. I like the alphabetic sestet. It made me think about something other than stupid rhymes. Take a look around me and imagine fall and it took my mind off Florence!

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  12. Singledust
    Sep 14, 2018 @ 08:15:58

    i love the bookend poetry, keeps the circle tight and warm, just like a favourite fall day, the colours and the images just leap out of your lines

    Reply

  13. rothpoetry
    Sep 14, 2018 @ 09:01:32

    A beautiful description of fall. Love the leaves torturing the OCD lawn owners!

    Reply

  14. rivrvlogr
    Sep 14, 2018 @ 09:17:49

    This has a cozy feel to it – preparing for the coming cold while making the most of a beautiful season.

    Reply

  15. kim881
    Sep 14, 2018 @ 10:11:44

    I love the way Indian summer comes around again at the end of your sestet, Toni, and in between you have a wonderful abundance of autumn and winter!

    Reply

  16. annell4
    Sep 14, 2018 @ 10:58:02

    Autumn is my favorite.

    Reply

  17. mhmp77
    Sep 14, 2018 @ 11:41:38

    kaykuala

    Clever way of having it to go both ways up and down. Great wordcraft Toni!

    Hank

    Reply

  18. Frank Hubeny
    Sep 14, 2018 @ 13:03:11

    Nice description of those lawn owners: “Enraging OCD lawn owners.” Fortunately I don’t have to take care of the lawn and can avoid the tempting OCD.

    Reply

  19. Glenn Buttkus
    Sep 14, 2018 @ 16:54:56

    Doubly clever here, Toni. The reversing and refrain was cool, but I appreciated the thought you put into it–for the poem is all of a piece, not just wandering lines that kind of wrote themselves (i.e. –my piece).

    Reply

    • kanzensakura
      Sep 14, 2018 @ 16:58:34

      Your’s was stream of consciousness, flarf…that hoodoo that you do so well. Mine was just I what do…tightly wrapped and controlled. We are both if us good poets in our own way.

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  20. Jade M. Wong
    Sep 14, 2018 @ 18:51:59

    Love how you reversed the order of the letters in the first stanza, overall a really creative and vivid poem! The imagery of nature, it definitely feels like Autumn!

    Reply

  21. Mish
    Sep 14, 2018 @ 20:32:47

    I like the way you framed the poem with “Indian summer shows its face in colored leaves” and the phrase itself is beautiful in imagery! Everything in between makes me long for Fall. Very nice, Toni.

    Reply

  22. Björn Rudberg (brudberg)
    Sep 15, 2018 @ 12:51:17

    Oh.. had to smile about the OCD people… I never rake the leaves… I let them nourish the soil

    Reply

    • kanzensakura
      Sep 15, 2018 @ 14:17:26

      As do wel But the lawn guy comes in after they have all fallen to mulch them so they really go into the soil and nourish. Many of my neighbors et their leaves blow. I don’t care. It is their leaves!

      Reply

  23. Victoria Stuart
    Sep 16, 2018 @ 13:22:34

    I love what you have done with this form, really made it your own. Your photos and the line “Indian summer shows its face in colored leaves.” framing our experience. Really lovely flow here.

    Reply

  24. lynn__
    Sep 16, 2018 @ 21:33:07

    Gorgeous autumn portrait, Toni!! Glad to live in the country where we don’t feel so OCD about our lawns or leaves…I’m ready to be done mowing 🙂

    Reply

  25. sushilove51
    Sep 17, 2018 @ 09:55:24

    excellent post!

    Reply

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