Tuesday 23 September 2014

Autumn

I really can't beat Ode to Autumn by John Keats but here are 2 of my recent offerings as the days start to get colder, the nights starrier and the fire is lit regularly in the evenings.

Autumn

A friend said
autumn brings in a sadness
of saying ‘goodbye’ to the summer.
Not for me!
For me
autumn is the most mindful season.
A season of …
bright splashes of colour
changing leaves
glinting morning frosts
a nip in the air
colour in my cheeks

sparkling starry nights
a burnished harvest moon
log fires
jumpers, hats and gloves
abundance
bounty
generosity
a new beginning
in sync with the school year
a deep scent of earth.

Leaf crunching time

Now it is leaf crunching time
dancing leaf
turning leaf
colourful time
dazzling sunset
starry night
cold nose time
warm days
cool days
fire lighting time
harvesting
foraging
joyful time
summertime?
autumntime?
nearly Christmastime
slowing down
laying down
hibernation time
mushroom growth
house spiders
indoor mice time.
Now are the days of leaf crunching time.

© 22 Sep 14

Tuesday 9 September 2014

Walking Meditation II

Tonight I walked
as if I could outrun myself
wanting to shake off
this feeling of jangliness
with speed
leaving it behind.

In sitting meditation
I was restless
itching to get moving.
In walking
the vigour rattled my bones
shook out
the feeling of dissatisfaction.

I found myself again
in autumn croci
blowsy
bulbous
flopping out of their pot
too heavy for spindly stems
a perfect shade of lilac.

They called my name
insistently
I could not ignore.
Their outrageous beauty
caught me
brought me
back to myself
dispelled all restlessness
taught me.

© 9 Sep 2014



Tuesday 2 September 2014

Walking meditation

In the garden
one hugged a tree,
one reached on tiptoe
to smell a flower,
one strode barefoot
grass tickling toes,
one wandered from bush to bush
drinking in the glories of nature.

And I?
I could not walk.
I saw the half moon
already shining in a turquoise sky
now and again covered by a patchwork
of grey and pink clouds.
I was spell-stopped
by the pull of the moon.
© 1 Sep 2014