Autumn

Autumn

Fall leaves mysteriously evolving mellow,

autumn: September, October, November.

Summer green to orange, red, and yellow.

Shorter days, longer nights. I do remember

keeping twelve fall leaves—an arty bouquet,

until spring—for a lucky year—a dream tender.

Winds conduct nature’s pirouette—leafy ballet,

crispy cool nights—dawn fog a curtained stage,

wet leaves turn into a sticky sidewalk applique.

Trees hold nature’s story—leafy autumn’s page.

September Harvest Full Moon glows on gleaning—

apples, peaches, pears, and plums earn a wage.

Season ready for comfort foods tasty meaning,

chilly days-chili hot—cold germs sneaky sneeze,

chicken soup cure—two aspirin for flu cleaning.

Harvest appetite ready to bake mac and cheese,

tummy growls, for an extra scoop, if you please.

Autumn chill, tasteless—add hot sauce squeeze,

flavor enhancement—taste buds swing: trapeze.

April Ryan has been published in Sharing Stories through Northwest Prime Time many times in the last several years. This time she says: I investigated tercets [a form of poetry using three lines] and “decided to do a form of villanelle: five tercets (terza rima) aba bcb cdc, etc. and one quatrain (monorhyme) --- nineteen lines.”

SHARING STORIES is a weekly column for about the 50-plus crowd living in the Puget Sound region. Send your stories and photos to ariele@comcast.net. Tell local or personal stories; discuss concerns around aging and other issues; share solutions, good luck, and reasons to celebrate; poems are fine too. Pieces may be edited or excerpted. We reserve the right to select among pieces. Photos are always a plus and a one-sentence bio is requested (where you live, maybe age or career, retired status, etc.).

SHARING STORIES is featured on www.northwestprimetime.com, the website for Northwest Prime Time, a monthly publication for baby boomers, seniors, retirees, and those contemplating retirement. The newspaper can be found in the greater Seattle area and other Puget Sound locations. For more information, call 206-824-8600 or visit www.northwestprimetime.com. To find other SHARING STORIES articles on this website type "sharing stories" in the search function above.