Gleefully anticipate!
Hit the dirt!
Get out your rake–
and clean the land!
to smooth in autumn’s order
when long-stretched shadows,
silhouettes
back-dropped by low-slung midday shine
and burnt sunsets,
dusks that shrink to quick,
bringing in the cricket music track,
and starry dark
ruled by the moon
slinks soon
from long to longer. . .
the crow crowd
over weeks and days
proceeds to congregate,
struts,
awaits remains of park sack lunch,
smugly ruffles its inky, feathery capes,
proliferates. . .
the squirrels scurry ’round
on trunks, lawns, branches–
every place!
to gather
all they need
to fill their winter larder. . .
BART trains resound
on gourd-like, hollow tracks
through harvest air. . .
leaves perk, still green
before they come
to desiccate,
descend. . .
and sundry colored flowers
and heavy, still green
figs and apples
grown by neighbor houses
yet abound. . .
before this huge span,
now cities-wide,
once all Peralta’s land,
contracts. . .
and
a mild but thorough
cold and wet
penetrates,
confines
the fluttering-into-sleep-
fruit-flower-and-dry-leaf-
strewn ground.
Our thoughts and lives grow quiet,
close and deep,
and the company of our sweetest, wildest dreams
our souls will open up to keep.
The Danforth Anchor 
wonderful fall imagery….
This is absolutley lovely. Really nice reading.
The last stanza especially so.. makes me feel like a squirrel getting ready to hibernate 🙂
Have to say though that I’m not sure about the first four lines..don’t think they’re needed and they kind of distracted from the flow of the rest.
Also.. a typo? “dusks that shrink to quick,” did you perhaps mean “too” ?
Nice work 🙂
Hi Words Asunder,
Thank you for the visit to my blog. I appreciate your specific suggestion– I will consider it. I feel I can make this poem stronger, one way or another, and it’s good to hear someone else’s more objective view of how I might do that.
No, it’s not a typo– I meant that the dusks were shrinking to be quick dusks. But thank you for letting me know of your confusion there. That could be helpful, too, in any possible revision.
So vivid!
Love all the ways you make me imagine the scene.
Thank you Becky!
I appreciate your visit to my blog and your comment.
This was so wonderful! I’m a Fall girl and if I could I’d wear oranges, yellows, reds and rich browns all year long. I’ve been longing for Fall and reading this I felt that Fall had come to me with all it’s smells, tastes and colors. And I took a deep breath and for just a minute I could smell the fruit that had fallen from the trees, laying on a cushion of brightly colored leaves, while a gust of crisp Fall wind playfully kisses and dances with the leaves. This piece brought to many vivid pictures to my mind. Loved it.
Thank you so much for stopping by and commenting on my blog. It was a pleasure to read your piece. May your week be wonderfully blessed! 🙂
http://elizena-lovingmycreator.blogspot.com/2012/09/hearts-harvest.html
Thank you Elizena,
I am really glad my poem connected so well with you. Your comment may well be the most wonderfully poetic blog comment I have ever received. I really appreciate it. Thanks for stopping by and reading on The Danforth Anchor.
Elaine
Some excellent imagery and assonance, love the crow crowd, they should be showing up soon.
Thank you, Average Poet,
I appreciate your visit and your comment. Those birds are definite characters in the fall landscape, indeed. I’ve started to see them, and I know there will be more.
I love that everyone is writing about the season! Great job!
Thank you, Poetryroad,
I think the seasons are the stuff of which poetry is made. Internal and external change, occurring around us every so subtly in every moment as we speak/write, do whatever else we do, eat/sleep. 🙂
I appreciate the virtual pat on the back. 🙂
Oh I love autumn! And you’ve capture that sense of joie de vivre for the season and yet trepidation for what we all know follows. Much enjoyed this.
Thank you, Raivenne.
for the visit and comment on my blog.
I am glad my poem resonated with you.