When Autumn arrives, I look for perfectly colored leaves and display them on a certain table in my house. I love many kinds, revel in the golden aspen display we have in Colorado, but nothing takes the place of those vivid, crimson maple trees, of which we have few. They do not like our climate very much, and need TLC in order to grow. If someone has nurtured a maple's growth, it becomes a destination. We can say things like, have you seen that tree over on 28th Avenue? And if so, the other will exclaim, Yes, I have, think it's better this year than last!
My photos today are from a trip to the Boston area with my students, crossing the old North Bridge near Concord, Massachusetts, and from outside my old house by a line of aspen. My poem is written in tribute to all the falling leaves of October; how beautiful they are!
Autumn
Leaf lost
Wind tossed
Autumn greeting
Beauty fleeting
Eyes awakened
Photo taken
Unforsaken
Linda Baie ©All Rights Reserved
I love imagining you all keeping track of particular trees! The ending of your poem makes me think of holding on to the good things and keeping them close. Nice.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tabatha. It is a good thing to find beauty wherever possible.
Delete"Leaf lost/Wind tossed" yet "unforsaken"... lovely! I do miss those changing leaves. Thanks, Linda, for inspiring my own post this morning as well!
ReplyDeleteI did suspect there would be more than one poem to celebrate Autumn. Thanks Michelle.
DeleteThis is the time of year I wish our leaves changed colors. Love your little wind blown leaf poem. Happy Fall!
ReplyDeleteI do love the changes, but wonder also what it is like to live where there are fewer. Thank you Margaret!
DeleteEyes awakened, indeed! Gorgeous photographs, Linda!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tara. I imagine you have a few scenes of leaves like that first one!
DeleteHi there Linda. I just blogged about leaves a few weeks back (http://gatheringbooks.wordpress.com/2013/09/17/photo-journal-a-z-photo-story-challenge-l-is-for-leaves/) so I'm happy to find beautiful photographs here, and your poetry that never fails to make me smile. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Myra. I'll look for your post. From early scrapbooks in school of leaves, to today, ever fascinating!
DeleteLinda, that's lovely. Both the poem and the photos. You are such a joyful person. Thank you for sharing yourself with us.
ReplyDeleteHi Andrea, thank you! It's wonderful to hear from you!
DeleteYour poem is such a gem -- wonderful way to welcome my favorite season. I love those crimson maple leaves too -- we don't have any in our woods so when I drive by and see them somewhere else, it's definitely a big event! Lovely photos too :).
ReplyDeleteThank you Jama-the maples are pure magic, I think! We loved them on that Boston trip, and I remember them so well from my childhood!
DeleteLeaf lost
ReplyDeleteWind tossed
Love! I also love fall... we have two sugar maples in our backyard. One year I took a pic every day during October to catalog their color and drop. Trees are so miraculous... I don't think I could live somewhere that didn't have them! xo
What a wonderful slide show you must have had, Irene. And you have two in your yard-a wonderful gift I would say!
DeleteLovely how you grabbed that beauty! I am writing about the autumn leaves too today. More of a melancholy feeling for me, but I am working on mindfulness so that's OK.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Andy-each season holds personal connections, doesn't it?
DeleteLinda - loved your poem and photos. that first photo looked like an abstract painting! I miss the falling leaves!
ReplyDeleteBut you have that wonderful water, don't you? Thanks BJ!
DeleteWhat an elegant, beautifully quiet poem. And I do love the aspen leaf floor. Okay, it's kind of crazily beautiful here in Mass. right now, but like others I like the neighbors who let each other know about the rare gorgeous trees -- we do say, "What a day!" running in and out of the post office, and try not to take it for granted (hey, we know winter's coming!) but I love the specialness of those cared for trees.
ReplyDeleteI'm traveling back east to PA this Sunday, hope to immerse myself in the fall colors that have occurred so far. It is funny to me that we keep oohing and ahhing over the color. Perhaps we are never sure it will return? Thanks Jeannine.
DeleteGorgeous photographs and poem, Linda. We are not quite ready for colorful leaves here in Maryland. Can't wait for what's to come.
ReplyDeleteThe change in the mountains seems to happen very quickly. The trees get the message and "zoom", there they are-golden. Hope you have a great weekend at the festival!
DeleteSo simple, yet so beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Matt-see you very soon!
DeleteSpot on stunning! Wow. I love this, Linda. Have a wonderful wonderful trip next week. Happy fall!
DeleteThanks Amy-I appreciate all your support! Fall is definitely here!
DeleteFall is certainly showing its colors and you beautifully captured that here today. Lovely.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Betsy.
DeleteBeautiful autumn poem, Linda. I particularly like unforsaken. Hooray for leaves.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I wonder if anyone makes leaf scrapbooks in school anymore?
DeleteOh, Linda, how I miss the leaves changing color! Here in the desert Autumn is marked by 90 degree days instead of triple digits! Ha! (actually yesterday was only 85 - glorious!) Thank you for your poem, your photos, and kindling my Autumn memories. =)
ReplyDeleteThanks Bridget. I guess we miss what we don't have. I love the desert when I visit, just don't get there very often.
DeleteThis is lovely! I love the idea of nurturing trees. Wish more people did it where I live! There is one kind, the mapou, which is sacred, so nobody cuts those down.
ReplyDeleteWonderful to hear about the mapou, Ruth. I will look it up. Another wonderful tree I discovered when I was in the Sonoran desert in Mexico was the boojum tree. We had a ceremony for a huge one to keep it living. Thanks!
DeleteYou wouldn't think there was room for any more autumn leaf poems, but here we are! Lovely, Linda. Would like you to know that we do collect leaves in kindergarten and then I laminate a sheet of them for each child. We have made mobiles, used them for patterning, etc etc. And this weekend, despite the fact that our curriculum insists that we should be learning about "symbols and practices of the United States," I will send home a bag for collecting nuts and leaves. : )
ReplyDeleteSo happy to hear about your kindergarten "collections", Heidi. I would always choose to be outside noticing nature's things, like leaves and nuts, than inside most of the time. Thank you Heidi-guess we're all celebrating the beauties of fall this week!
DeleteI love the opening couplet too--"Leaf lost" feels so poignant to me.
ReplyDeleteI believe one could read several things into that first part, Liz. Thank you!
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