Inspired by the tile of January Gill O’Neil’s poetic masterpiece, “The Blower of Leaves.”
It occurs to me a decade after the aughts,
how deliciously wrought
autumn is with its reds and golds;
how persimmons among wild fruit-trees grow
with plums, with grapevines
and a variety of berry-bushes–
it is a riot of color,
it is a cloud of melancholia that dominates
the other into letting go completely
and seeing who manages to hold his ground.
O’Neil calls it the blower of leaves; describes
it to be a time when they wither and die,
and though I see it in a different light,
cannot help but agree,
there certainly isn’t a season lovelier than this.
That being established, I am led
to other aspects that hide in the shadows
at night,
dark and dewy consonance that allows thought
and expression to slip through,
isn’t it odd how one is enticed toward all things
parlous?
I wonder if it has anything to do with September
melting into October.
I lie awake in bed, hours after sunrise,
the roseate of my cheeks, long black hair and
stoic look of resignation
are almost enough to fool melancholia
into thinking it has brought chaos about–
no, on the contrary, it is the complete opposite,
a gutsy notion has made its way into my mind
as wisp of smoke, elusive and thin.
It isn’t always easy to forgo what was once
desirable, but humor me this;
wouldn’t you rather be bourbon
in someone’s glass than a page yellowed and torn?
Something to think about.
Photo credits : Loui Jover, “Cocktail Drawing,” Pinterest
Melissa is our lovely hostess at dVerse Pub where she invites us to write
a poem incorporating autumn, sprinkling in some autumn words from the
list provided in the prompt. Come join us! ❤️
Posted for Poetics: Folding into Autumn @dVerse Poets Pub
A riot of colour indeed, Sanaa! I love that you have alluded to O’Neill and the blower of leaves, and the phrase ‘dark and dewy consonance’.
Thank you so much, Kim 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
A spectacular poem with all the complexity of autumn both darkness and colors, lovely and dangereous… great job.
Thank you so much, Bjorn 😀 so glad you liked it! 💄❤️
Love the riot of color and September melting into October, Sanaa. A very romantic autumnal poem. I feel like a yellowed and torn page many days.😂
Thank you so much, Melissa 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
I wonder if it has anything to do with September
melting into October.
I love this thought. Sometimes it does feel this way. Love your exquisite poem Sanaa.
Thank you so much, Dwight 😀 so good to see you 💄❤️
You got autumn right specially with its riot of colors. I love this part:
autumn is with its reds and golds;
how persimmons among wild fruit-trees grow
with plums, with grapevines
and a variety of berry-bushes–
it is a riot of color,
Thank you so much, Grace 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
I am blown away by the spectacle of colour as “September melts into October”
Gorgeous poem Sanaa.
Much🖤love
Thank you so much, Gillena 😀 so glad the poem and its imagery appealed to you 💄❤️
Much love back to you 🥂
Gorgeous Sanaa – so true – “it is a cloud of melancholia ”
and you ask the most intoxicating questions
“wouldn’t you rather be bourbon
in someone’s glass than a page yellowed and torn?”
Awww gosh! Thank you so much, Laura 😍 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
Your words perfectly expressed your poetic thoughts. The poetic imaginings behind the penned words make this exquisite!
Thank you so much, Susan 😀 so glad the poem resonated with you 💄❤️
Beautiful, Sanaa. You capture both the spectacular color and beauty of autumn and its “cloud of melancholia.” I feel both, too, especially as September melts into October (or perhaps more so as October melts into November). 💙💙
I absolutely agree! Thank you so much, Merril 😀 so glad you liked it 💄❤️
Wonderfully woven with color and shadow.
❤️❤️❤️
I read this over and over–every reading brings something new. A wonderful description of how autumn works on our minds.
Awww gosh! Thank you so much, Xan 😀 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
I love the layering of personal, Autumnal and philosophical and I shall think on it Sanaa…
Thank you so much, Andrew 😀 so glad the poem and its imagery appealed to you 💄❤️
The answer to your question … is yes. A truly gorgeous, lush sensuous poem, Sanaa. The art that accompanies it is perfection. (I had to return from my mini-break for this challenge.)
Awww gosh! Thank you so much, Helen 😍 so glad you enjoyed it 💄❤️
(Here’s hoping the mini-break proved to be a good respite for you)