When cool dawn drifts through
open windows,
when the rising sun
tips green and golding leaves and
trickles down tree trunks
in trailing drips of light,
when honking geese
cross the fresh sky,
when asters open
and the basil releases
tiny pepper-black seeds,
when the cat no longer sprawls
but curls into a cozy pose,
I know Autumn is on the way.
I also know Summer’s heat
is not done with us,
but these are hints of what’s to come,
promises of cooler days ahead.
Already, the earth is offering up
her generous, ripe gifts.
Soon enough she will invite us
to settle with her
into long, fallow days
of peaceful rest,
patient renewal,
potent re-freshening.
She will invite us
to join the slow, deep
in-breath and out-breath season
of all creation
calming,
becoming serene,
being revived.
-kh-
Nurture peace, cultivate kindness, and carry the calm.
Nature and shadow of the week:
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Text and photos © 2024 Karyn Henley. All rights reserved.