An ode to Autumn

4 of 4

Pale-white shrinking golden glow
hovers over water slow
and morning waking slumber stays
as it peers slowly from the haze
Whimsy holds removed I see
a world at distance wistfully
as summer fades to distant glow
and cooler days I soon will know
A curtain call as evening falls
and summer into winter calls
Yet tangible with treasure hold
the Autumn swan-song bathed in gold

Perfect bliss

The autumn carpet
starts to lay
on this fine Lincoln
autumn day
Gold beneath
my crunching feet
as I go walking
life is sweet

Dormouse

Walking out for coffee
I spied down at my feet
a tiny little dormouse
looking rather sweet
He seemed quite oblivious
to me as I stood there
so I watched him for a little
whilst he was unaware

Tai-Haiku XXV (October)

And so October
Memory of summer fades
and chill settles in

And yet the promise
as greenery turns to gold
with treasure to find

And as winter looms
summer falls from all the trees
as we wrap up warm

Blessed II revisited

12 of 12 in the Jemverse ‘October’ series

It’s a quarter to six
and the sun’s sinking low
But it’s so lovely here
that I don’t want to go
So I’ll sit here a while
as the shadows grow long
to watch the sun set
to the ebbing tide’s song

October summer revisited

11 of 12 in the Jemverse ‘October’ series

It was as if the sun was laughing
As, with a snub to time of year
It said “No” to woolly hats and scarves
And “Yes” to swimming gear

October dawned again

10 of 12 in the Jemverse ‘October’ series

With rain today October dawned
Autumn’s finally here
but I’m grateful for the summer
which has brought us lots of cheer

Colder now the sun has gone
The green though still remains
The memory has yet to fade
The warmth still in my veins

The Morning Moon revisited

9 of 12 in the Jemverse ‘October’ series

October morning
chill in air
with harvest moon
in blue sky there
Commuters with
their i-phones out
capture it
so there’s no doubt

The yellow revisited

8 of 12 in the Jemverse ‘October’ series

Underneath the canopy
the yellow on the ground
the changing of the seasons
as autumn comes around
The beauty at this time of year
takes my breath away
enraptured by the wonder
on this fine October day

Mother Nature’s Gifting revisited

7 of 12 in the Jemverse ‘October’ series

With yellow sky, the sunset
was something to behold
A panoramic spectacle
tinged with flecks of gold

Late October wonder
above the river there
Provided a rare moment
to simply stop and stare

Tea Leaves

Mangled leaves and withered dreams
Torn from their stable branches
In a final flurry of beauty
As they float down on a cold breeze
To join the Turkish rug of autumn.
There may yet be a child of wonder
Who makes a pile as tall
As their tree once was
And refuses to give up on them
As he leaps into their embrace.
But eventually, the snow will fall
Like a curtain on the stage
As the what-ifs and what-could-bes
Take a long, final bow
And melt away into the dull gray
Of the winter’s cold soil.

Forget me not revisited

6 of 12 in the Jemverse ‘October’ series

I’ll not forget forget-me-not
exquisite, small and blue
For it’s etched there in a memory
never to eschew

From May through late October
in the churchyard, on my way
How could I forget forget-me-not
for I see it every day?

Magnificent II revisited

5 of 12 in the Jemverse ‘October’ series

Long shadows with October
the days dawn cold and bright
and the sunshine in the eastern sky
provides a gorgeous sight
Glinting on the water
and magnificently gold
Rising over Shoreham beach
to the river in the cold

Sunshine & wild ponies revisited

4 of 12 in the Jemverse ‘October’ series

Walking through the forest
I spied ahead of me
open fields and sunshine
and ponies running free
Some turned around at my approach
ears cocked as if to say
“Good afternoon to you upon
this fine October day”

Another autumn day revisited

3 of 12 in the Jemverse ‘October’ series

A clear Autumn day, not a cloud in the sky
A mist that lies lurking like a child’s forlorn cry
A walk in the morning when no-one’s about
When a whisper is special. ‘cos you daren’t risk a shout
A broken old caravan, a cow in a field
A dog that likes running for Frisbees concealed
A field that is covered with a crisp, sparkling dew
A feeling of freshness, when everything’s new
A field of dry stubble that’s been burnt for the year
A farmer out walking (we’re not meant to be here)
A last throw of the Frisbee, then back on your lead
And home to make coffee and you then to feed

A walk in the woods revisited

2 of 12 in the Jemverse ‘October’ series

Dappled sunlight filtered through
the green tunnel up ahead
as carefree there we wandered
uncertain where it led

Not that we were bothered
for we cared not for the time
on such an afternoon as this
with autumn weather fine

The crunch of fallen leaves beneath
our feet as there we trod
with the perfume of October
from the chalky Sussex sod

Summer in late autumn revisited

1 of 12 in the Jemverse ‘October’ series

Looking down to Stanmer House
across the open field
You’d be forgiven for mistaking
the day to be from summer’s yield

Long shadows of late evening
from a warm and balmy day
Sometime in early summer
Perhaps at the end of May?

But no, this is October
with November closing in
Long shows of mid afternoon
with Autumn in full swing

Welcoming the gold

There’s a nip in the air
but the door’s open wide
and I’ve yet to feel chill
when sitting inside

There’s still colour out there
and the green’s yet to fade
as though it was hoping
that summer had stayed

First II

2 of 12 in the Jemverse ’12 months III’ series

October is here
as autumn waits in the wings
and the greenery turns brown
leaves begin falling
for the underfoot crunching
into the face of winter

September 30th

The last day of September
Summer’s waxed and waned away
Yet with warmth still here around me
Autumn’s yet to have its say
There’s still time for shorts and t-shirts
and for sitting in the sun
for though the days are shorter
cooler times have yet to come
So, as a child of summer
Autumn days can bide their time
For I’m still happy in the sun
whilst it stays warm and fine

Tri-haiku XXIV (fading sun)

Its autumn apex
takes the sun lower each day
as northwards I face

Summer ends but heat
remains in that strength daily
Save for lesser time

Shadows fall early
So now I must make the most
of a fading sun

MY SWEET AUTUMN – REPRISE

By Charles Robert Lindholm

I Am A Lover,
Of The Seasons
And For Each Of Them
I Have My Own,
And Secret Reasons
For Letting Them,
Make Love To Me 

They All Touch Me
In The Deepest Way

HAIKU: AUTUMN IS ENDING

By Charles Robert Lindholm

Autumn Is Ending

Red IV (haiku)

Crimson the blanket
Warm and crisp and crunchy soft
To rest in Autumn

Tri-Haiku VI (Autumn)

Gold from the sunset
falls as such with autumn leaves
settling to the sea

A sea of crunching
Yellow, reds and gold are here
there beneath my feet

And just like the beach
this November paradise
Autumn comes again

Blessed II

It’s a quarter to six
and the sun’s sinking low
But it’s so lovely here
that I don’t want to go
So I’ll sit here a while
as the shadows grow long
to watch the sun set
to the ebbing tide’s song

Tri-Haiku IV (Change)

And as winter comes
I am yellow with summer
Sunshine in my mind

But as summer fades
Yellow changes into blue
Winter takes a hold

And as my palette
paints here a changing picture
the canvas moves on

Autumn Lovely

Raining now and cooler
Autumn’s finally gotten hold
But there’s still a little warmth out there
and it’s not yet all that cold