undercliff picnic area palisades shore trail

suddenly september

Suddenly September signals summer is over.
The cool breeze blows in after the hurricane passed out to sea,
The throbbing life of the migrating flocks now gone from the empty sky.
The quiet woodlands abandoned but for the silent grazing deer.

It is a time of sadness for me.
Soon the trees will flash their magnificent last hurrah
Fading from brilliant to brown litter on the forest floor.
Now we live out the last days of the season.

The Autumnal Equinox draws near.
It is Jewish Rosh Hashanah today.
The year begins at the end of summer like the day begins at sunset.
It is Muslim end of Ramadan Eid day of peace in two days on 9/11.

The Fundamentalist Christians will be burning the Koran, how despicable!
The Tea Party bigots will be railing against a mosque near Ground Zero,
The way they incite violence against Muslims and all immigrants.
And we will be in the streets in defense of their rights.

The natural world knows nothing of politics
Except when the result is climate change or pollution,
Loss of habitat or invasive species spread by humans.
When the day is over, the sun will be one day lower in the sky.

Good-bye glorious proliferation of life!
Let the contraction enfold everything in its arms
Drawing in whatever could not or has not fled south
Shutting down, going dormant, burrowing to hibernate.

Happily the insects will be gone. And somehow
There are birds that flit about through the winter freeze.
And ice and snow have their magical qualities.
And the spring thaw melting will be so wonderful.

made in honduras

sterling lake

settling in

A couple of weeks in now living together
Taking some quiet time in the morning
Looking out at the September light and shadow
Watching the birds visit the shrub tree out my window.

You are beginning to settle in here
Finally getting most of your things unpacked
Finding a place for everything among my things
Getting used to a new bed and new routines.

It takes time to adjust of course.
Even the potted plants feel their new surroundings.
What pleases me most is what is absent.
No drama, no turmoil, just roots taking hold.

This morning I smell the spices of your cooking
Preparing the food for your workweek.
We are home together
Taking care, being sweet, happy with the simple things.

Two rooms have sanded floors, three have repainted walls.
There’s a sundial pattern marked on the back deck.
This place is taking on our personality.
We are making it ours.