Autumn in the Midwest

I have been busy preparing for a conference at the end of the month, so I am reprinting a blog post from November 4, 2013.

Autumn in the Midwest

Saturday I drove to Indianapolis for a writers’ luncheon. On the way down, the sun was still fighting the darkness and a fine mist veiled the scenery, so I barely noticed the trees. But on the return trip, the sun highlighted the gorgeous fall colors.

That and a few lines in a poem written by a friend inspired me to write this one.

A Feast for the Eyes

Driving along I-65,

The trees are a candy store assortment

Of cinnamon, tangerine drops, and butterscotch.

Walking through a duneland forest,

The path is a farmstand cornucopia

With cranberries, walnuts, and butternut squash.

Living autumn days,

The landscape is a Midwest banquet

That feasts the eyes while feeding the soul.

Autumn in the Midwest

 

Saturday I drove to Indianapolis for a writers’ luncheon. On the way down, the sun was still fighting the darkness and a fine mist veiled the scenery, so I barely noticed the trees. But on the return trip, the sun highlighted the gorgeous fall colors.

That and a few lines in a poem written by a friend inspired me to write this one.

A Feast for the Eyes

Driving alone I-65,

The trees are a candy store assortment

Of cinnamon, tangerine drops, and butterscotch. 

Walking through a duneland forest,

The path is a farmstand cornucopia

With cranberries, walnuts, and butternut squash. 

Living autumn days,

The landscape is a Midwest banquet

That feasts the eyes while feeding the soul.

My Favorite Season

Autumn is my favorite time of year. An artist's palate filled with shades of orange, yellow, and red. Crisp air tickling my nose, tantalizing my tongue, and caressing my skin. Anticipation of upcoming holidays with family and friends.

But there are other people who capture the feeling better than I can. So today I'm going to yield the floor to Paul Laurence Dunbar, an African-American poet born shortly after the Civil War ended.

Merry Autumn, by Paul Laurence Dunbar

It's all a farce,--these tales they tell
About the breezes sighing,
And moans astir o'er field and dell,
Because the year is dying.

Such principles are most absurd--
I care not who first taught 'em;
There's nothing known to beast or bird
To make a solemn autumn.

In solemn time, when grief holds sway,
With countenance distressing,
You'll note the more of black and gray
Will then be used in dressing.

Now purple tints are all around;
The sky is blue and mellow;
And e'en the grasses turn the ground
From modest green to yellow.

The seed burs all with laughter crack
On featherweed and jimson;
And leaves that should be dressed in black
Are all decked out in crimson.

A butterfly goes winging by;
A singing bird comes after;
And Nature, all from earth to sky,
Is bubbling o'er with laughter.

The ripples wimple on the rills,
Like sparkling little lasses;
The sunlight runs along the hills,
And laughs among the grasses.

The earth is just so full of fun
It really can't contain it;
And streams of mirth so freely run
The heavens seem to rain it.

Don't talk to me of solemn days
In autumn's time of splendor,
Because the sun shows fewer rays,
And these grow slant and slender.

Why, it's the climax of the year,--
The highest time of living!--
Till naturally its bursting cheer
Just melts into thanksgiving.

I couldn't have said it better.

God's Tapestry

I love Autumn in the Midwest, but words can't explain why. So I'll try pictures, instead.

© 2008 by Kathryn Page Camp

© 2010 by Kathryn Page Camp

© 2010 by Kathryn Page Camp

© 2010 by Kathryn Page Camp

© 2009 by Kathryn Page Camp

© 2009 by Kathryn Page Camp

© 2009 by Kathryn Page Camp

© 2010 by Kathryn Page Camp