Turning

Despite the fact that my Summer Shorts project has come to an end, I’ve kept up with snapping a daily photo, and so far have managed to pair each photo with a bit of writing (“Fall Fragments”). No promises (to myself or anyone else) that this will continue so consistently. But somehow it’s a nice habit not to break.

“Turning” was the photo prompt for October 7th. Somehow all the squirrels dashing about in their hunt for winter stores caught my eye. And so a little tanka about the fall activity of these critters.

 

Path lined with chestnuts
prickly shells, shiny brown globes.
Squirrels everywhere.

They dash, climb, chase, leap, scurry.
Winter soon, better hurry!

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This post is linked to Poetry Friday, hosted today by 13 and the lovely and clever Irene Latham at Live Your Poem.

 

Farewell to Summer (Goodnight Moon)

I did it! I wrote a short poem for every day of the summer. A notebook in my Evernote app called “2017 Summer Shorts Poems” now holds 93 of this summer’s daily photos and their accompanying verses.

That I even completed this amazes me. But that I enjoyed it to the last day amazes even more. I think the secret of finishing was that my expectations were low. The poems are all short. I didn’t write every day but did take daily photos and then caught up with the poem-writing when I had the time and the inspiration. And I never got too far behind.

Today I share with you yesterday’s photo and poem of farewell to summer. The photo prompt was “Goodnight Moon.”

Capture Your 365 photo for September 21, 2017: “Goodnight Moon” (© 2017 by V. Nesdoly)

Farewell to Summer

Goodnight moon of blushing gold.
Farewell drowsy heat of noon.
Mornings now are crisp and cold
falling leaves and frost come soon.
Autumn’s winds and rains are bold
I would love a summer rune.
Through these lines your charms I’ll hold
till you come again next June.

 

© 2017 by Violet Nesdoly (All rights reserved)

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This post is linked to the Poetry Friday, hosted today by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater at The Poem Farm where on Tuesday she celebrated the actual birth day of her new book Read! Read! Read!

 

 

Preserving

Tomorrow is April 1st. As I write that I feel a frisson of excitement. April is National Poetry Month (in Canada, the U.S. and perhaps other places too). This April, as I’ve done during the last several Aprils, I’m planning to drop other projects and works-in-progress and concentrate on poetry. Yes!!

Last year I wrote a poem a day and posted those freshly written puppies here on the blog.

This year I’m planning to do something a little different. I’ll still be posting a poem a day but from my pantry or cold room, so to speak. I have written many poems over the years that I’ve never published or posted anywhere. This April I’m going give some of them their first outing. I may publish a poetry book review or two and some how-to pieces as well.

If I know the poem’s inspiration or prompt, I’ll post that. If you decide to use that prompt to write a poem of your own, you’re most welcome to type your poem into comments so we can all enjoy your take on the subject.

(I’ll still be writing a poem a day. But I won’t be going public with them while they’re still warm from the oven, at least not most days…I’m a slow writer–need time to rethink, revise, work out the kinks, etc.).

Wishing you a wonderful month of preserving.

Image: Pixabay

Near multitude of washed Gem jars
next to the stove with boiling pot
of glass tops, zinc and rubber rings
she stacks the beans to chop-chop-chop.

Stainless steel bowls of new-shelled peas
wait still and mute for boiling bath
three-minute scald then colander scoop
into cold water filled with cubes.

Skins of tomatoes, peaches, beets
slip easily after scalding soak
hands soon stained red, sticky with juice
of roundness slippery as wet soap.

Sliced cucumbers sit overnight
in salty brine before they take
their Million Dollar Pickle bath
tart vinegar, mustard, turmeric.

In steamy kitchen open-mouthed
boxes wait scoop of beans or peas
jars merrily clink in canning pot
our cold room soon is rainbow-raised

with rich wine beets and red chow-chow
yellow peaches, pickles green
a freezer piled with boxes neat
of carrots, broccoli, peas and beans.

I too gather from my life’s plot
dehydrate, freeze, pickle and can
sustenance for my winter’s days
preserve with paper and with pen.

© 2017 by Violet Nesdoly (All rights reserved)

Prompt or inspiration:

I wrote this poem in response to Seamus Heaney’s poem “Digging” considered one of the top 100 poems of all time. It was linked on Adele Kenny’s blog The Music In It, her post of April 2015 poetry prompts.

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This post is part of Poetry Friday, hosted today by Amy Ludwig Vanderwater at The Poem Farm. Two days ago her blog was 7 years old. On her blogaversary post, she shared her National Poetry Month inspirations for the last several years. I love the many ways and places that people find inspiration for writing!

Save

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What is this light?

We have a beautiful paperbark maple in the back yard. It is one of the last trees to green up in spring and to redden in the fall. We see it from our kitchen window. When it is in full color, it’s almost as if  there is a glowing presence outside, looking in at us. It’s coming into its full beauty right now!

that window-watches
with a molten glance
all the burnt-orange shades
of lingering Autumn’s dance?

That stains the cool
November afternoon
with pear-gold burnished joy
and flapping goose’s tune?

In windy rain the flakes
of sunlight falling fast.
Drink in this wine
before fall bloom is past!

© 2016 by Violet Nesdoly (All Rights Reserved)

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This poem is linked to Poetry Friday, hosted today by Laura Salas at Writing the World for Kids.

 

Fall Collection

This is another poem inspired by a walk and the autumn leaves, which are particularly spectacular this year.

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I’m collecting fashion pixels
leaves so stunning, dyed and pressed.
With this season’s stylish outfits
Autumn’s golden runways dressed.

Slender sleeves of limey yellow
ric rac trim of flaming blush
bouffant skirt of lacy sun rays
scarlet gloves with seams of buff.

Stand of trees is wearing scarlet
there’s rain-polished burgundy
trunk shows off a brooch of coral
vivid shawls of tangerine.

Crinkled, dappled, smooth and spotted
late October’s costume ball
though some dither—can’t decide:
Come as summer, or as fall?

© 2016 by Violet Nesdoly (All rights reserved)

This post is linked to Poetry Friday, hosted today by Linda at her blog Teacher Dance.

 

preserves

Michaud Park in autumn (Photo © 2015 by V. Nesdoly)

multitudes of yellow leaves
illumine the park floor

the crop of summer’s
sunny days

dehydrated
for winter’s store

© 2014 by Violet Nesdoly (All Rights Reserved)

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This post is linked to Poetry Friday, hosted today by foody extraordinaire, Jama at Jama’s Alphabet Soup.

 

Exposed!

Spider webs (Photo by V. Nesdoly)

EXPOSED!

Through the summer night and day
spider spins her life away
weaving gossamer entrapments
for her unsuspecting prey.

Threads from clothes upon the line
between my beans upon the vine
and when I go through my front door
I break more threads ticklish and fine.

Until one misty day in fall
from tiny shrubs to cedars tall
each lacy trap in white is sketched.
The fog has come, exposing all!

© 2015 by Violet Nesdoly (All rights reserved)

 

I wrote this poem quite a few years ago, when I still had a garden. But it’s as true as ever. Each year at about this time, I’ll go out one misty morning to see spider webs everywhere. Busted!

This post is linked to Poetry Friday, hosted today by  poetry farmer extraordinaire, Amy LV at The Poem Farm.

 

Autumn Song

Market Collage (Photos © 2015 by V. Nesdoly)

Lettuce has bolted
rhubarb has plumed
cabbage grown plump
the onions have bloomed

Apples hide stars
tomatoes mandalas
green pews hold peas
mushrooms umbrellas

Beets count their rings
like old hickories
cauliflowers
are albino trees

Turnips love purple
radishes red
carrots, potatoes
won’t get out of bed

Corn’s teeth are stained
peaches and cream
gherkins escape in a
dill pickle dream

Pumpkins grow fat
like full harvest moons
goose gang flies south
honking its tunes

© 2009 by Violet Nesdoly

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Happy October! This time of year begs for a seasonal poem. I dug this one out of my binder. I believe I wrote it in 2009.  It makes me wish I had a garden to harvest. The next best thing is a Farmer’s Market. The photo is a collage from the amazing Kelowna Farmer’s Market. I took the photos when we visited in late September last year.

This post is linked to Poetry Friday, hosted today by Heidi at My Juicy Little Universe.

 

Savary Island in September

Our weather has turned gorgeous again after a couple of weeks of welcome rain. The last few days remind me of a September holiday we took some years ago. We spent part of it in the area of B.C. called the Sunshine Coast. On that trip we drove the whole highway from Langdale (near Gibsons) to Earl’s Cove and then caught a ferry to Powell River.

One day in PR we took the road north of town to a tiny settlement called Lund. At the marina there we boarded a water taxi for Savary Island.

What a magical place! There were no cars on the very basic roads. A walk through the woods took us to a small settlement where there was a store—which was closed for the season (fortunately we had brought along a small lunch). A walk along the beach took us past some cottages.  But mostly it was waves sloshing onto the white sand under sunny peacefulness.

I started the poem below sitting on the beach of Savary Island waiting for the water taxi to take us back to the mainland.

Savary Island in September (Photo © 2008 by V. Nesdoly)

Time dozes in the sun-brilliant afternoon
wind holds its kelpy breath
chorus of invisible crickets
trills a shrill chord to a motor’s drone

At the dock a boat
coughs to life
low-loaded it putt—putts
from the harbour

Voices echo in the still salt air
clear, glassy as the mirrored
double-boats anchored beside the two-headed
orange, yellow and white buoys

© 2015 by Violet Nesdoly (All rights reserved)

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This post is linked to Poetry Friday, hosted today by the multi-talented Robyn Hood Black at Life on the Deckle Edge.

 

October Fashion

Morning wears crisp cotton and smoky tulle

Morning wears crisp cotton and smoky tulle
woven through with gold light.

North Shore mountains are sensibly dressed
in darkest denim, their tops
hidden, cozy under unrolling
bolts of blue- and grey-tinged fleece.

The park has thrown on a shawl
of embroidered leaves
in tangerine, scarlet, yellow
wine, olive.

Even dwarf cedar has accessorized
her sensible green bouclé
with red leaf appliqués
of delicate Japanese maple.

© 2004 Capper’s Magazine. Also published by Prairie Messenger in 2006

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This is a repost. I first posted “October Fashion”  here exactly five years ago today. I hope fall is treating you to her head-turning style wherever you are!

This post is linked to Poetry Friday hosted today by the lovely Michelle Barnes at Today’s Little Ditty.