One must gather a chair, a cushion, a small setting table
field glasses, cup of tea, these grand books like quiet friends
then sit.
One must sit, knees crossed in cushioned chair
anchored in the too tall grass,
eyes to the hawthorn and bayberry,
waving maple, water-sounding leaves on air.
One must train the eye, not strain
but rest on beauty-
aleaf and aberry, expecting the
rush and wave of ruby
to hide a robin or two.
One must, footside, be amazed
at this blazing October day,
flames of foliage an avian chamber
of surprises, ever changing, never ending
one of a kind Autumn.
One must.
~~~~~~~~
I’ve been reading more and more poetry these days, particularly Gerard Manley Hopkins, who likes to make up his own words. Those aren’t typos you see–aleaf,aberry, footside–just me having fun with words.
Tell me, who is your favorite poet for seasonal reading?
Yay for Hopkins! We'll be reading some of his poems at the retreat this weekend. You knew that, right? And did you read Lanier's Hopkins-inspired sonnet? https://www.rabbitroom.com/2014/12/learning-from-the-masters/
I love your made-up words! Lovely, poem, Jody.