these parts
a little bit
new color on the green
and
then a little more
and
day by day it goes until the season
has arrived by
testament of
orange
and gold
the red of autumn in
these parts
c l couch
photo by Natalia Fogarty on Unsplash
a hint’s enough
I think there’s fall out back
though
mainly green
and now I’m in
no
hurry
for the change
I guess that evidence was enough
and
now I want the in-between time
that is
transition
plus the autumn itself that is too brief
well
they may
take their time now
c l couch
photo by Caroline Lehoux on Unsplash
the awful now
when
get me out of here
but
keep me here
I’m waiting
trying through small resources to
have something
build something both liked and approved
approved
and
liked
am I not deserving of the least
or
least of least
negative least
as it
were
not for virtue in the first place
or virtue after rescue
from sin
raised
up
from having fallen
be good
or bad and might I have something
anyway
for being here
for
trying
failing
like
she persisting
c l couch
photo by Ricardo Gomez Angel on Unsplash
many hundreds of miles away with cats
(starting at the window)
fall crept in
as if it hadn’t fallen
really
not quite yet
or
it was mischief as from sprites
or maybe the mischief Lads
of
Yule
come down from Icelandic mountains
‘round this
time of year
with the ogress their mother
and sometimes
accompanied by the great black
Yule Cat
of which there is an enormous rendering
in Reykjavik
times the size of us
looking like an omen
in and of
itself
simply beheld
I mean many times the size of us
and warnings of great fire
for eyes
and all these beings
seem
to play a role like Krampus
in the watching
and the punishing of waywardness
though I’m not
sure
the audience for moralizing
children only
or
adolescents
full-on adults
and
might the creatures go to halls o
government as if one
year’s chastising
should be
enough
well
anyway
it’s blue and gray today
not
so far from Gettysburg
and with our own local versions
of
folklore
for seasons
and for planting and for harvest
for
correction though somewhere there should
be
tales of mercy
and good
humoe
don’t you think
and by the way
Icelanders have a true society for taking
care of
cats
The Cats of Reykjavik
friends gave me
a mug
because evidently people care
for cats
at home or should they wonder
elsewhere
be
actively looked after
not as
communal property rather
as
communal treasure
fear of the legends maybe
though
I don’t think so
except
well
there are stories and there
are
stories with one of the true ones
about cats
on board ships and how they kept the plague
away
by hunting rats that carried fleas
that in turn
carried plague
and
Europe would have done
so much better had they not killed cats
as
signs of witchcraft
which brings on two subjects of doubt
that grown-up people
even medieval Christians
say
should have known not
to have excused themselves
for all the local violence that had
the affecting
of wrecking health
and taking so very many
many
lives
and so for this and other real matters
the Icelandic
are
under aegis to be cared for
which
not I think on it
emphasizes civility
in
how we should be civilized
beyond dissolute
even
depraved
resolute
c l couch
(19 December, third week of Advent, fifth day into fifth night of Hanukkah, and there are planned traditional observations—with the solstice in the after the day after this one, whether planned by us or arriving anyway)
I typed “keept” at first for “kept” and rather liking “keept”; and, let me see, I haven’t slept (sleept?) since the night before this last one, and even then briefly (still breathing foul air); and I have a hangnail, which of course is bearable except there is a bandage on it, making typing more of a challenge than is usual—and this is enough if not excessively an apology
photo by Wietse Jongsma on Unsplash
Hallgrímskirkja
Reykjavík, Iceland
seasoning scene-setting dark gray passed over by the wind that pushes through some texture in the sky the merest hint of blue between uncertain banks of white before the short day leans a near western horizon closer until the solstice fires might invoke or simply ask for change c l couch photo by Vadim Sadovski on Unsplash
southern exposure
now it’s Tuesday
out back
the red looks brown
near-
winter brown
already
though the red out front
more fiery
by sunlight pouring through
the backs and
fronts of leaves
so
maybe it’s a matter
only of shadows
only
of daytime hours
and if the light could shine out back
there would
be fire art
out there
as well
c l couch
photo by Klim Musalimov on Unsplash
golden late-sun tree
Earth regardless tilts away
climate change stalls fall
c l couch
(next I’ll be writing about how cold it’s gotten)
photo by Conor Luddy on Unsplash
two weeks in
there is
sun
and no new color
no brightness after fading into fall
the irony of
seasons that they meld
and then they live
set
on their own
c l couch
photo by Alexander Lunyov on Unsplash
supernal
rainy day
now how about windy
cold
you know
seasonal
autumnal
the coolness of fall in
the MidAtlantic
leaves trying to turn
but
needing the first frost or
really
just before
cool brilliance
cold
fire colors
dragon’s breath on leaves
they fly by at night
autumnal
serpents
breathing gently
(for
a dragon)
keeping the undersides
dark
scattered stars
the only things
not
to see
then to glide away
so we may warm by sight
and
smell the clarity of morning
with trees burning fall’s
consumption
only
and maybe
as
not
too soon
winter’s investment
c l couch
photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
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