The In-Between

As the season comes to an end
Autumn begins her graceful departure

and for a moment there is a stillness in the air

Geese consult about their migration with noisy honks

and conduct practice flights overhead

Leaves collect on the ground

swept into giant mounds by the increasingly chill wind

Sweaters become everyday items

As all of nature prepares for what lies ahead

And the stillness lingers

Bulrushes poke through the grasses
stiff and silent
ignoring the holes that open up in their furry hides

Small creatures take shelter

While fields of wildflowers borrow the glow of the
setting sun to burst into golden flame

and the stillness lingers

Autumn dips her brush in the
best colours of the season
and gives us something to remember
all winter long.

Autumn Rays

Is there such a thing as a solemn autumn?

How can that be

When trees decorate themselves with baubles

And colourful clouds

Swirl among their branches

When water glows with lights

From somewhere

Deep within

And lemon-yellow leaves wave to us

from crisp blue skies

The forest may darken earlier in the day

But lights are left on for us to find our way as the sun

Wishes us goodnight

And the Autumn winds play a song

Only the heavy-headed grasses can hear

There is no time for solemn days

When the world is painted gold.

A Haunted Halloween

They say, that in the midnight hour,

on the Eve of Halloween

The disembodied have the power

To wander seen, unseen

Up the wizened oaks

And across the fairy stream

They glide through still

And solemn places

With pale, cold, mournful faces

To dream...

Wishing you a happy, h a u n t e d Halloween!

Text modified from Midnight and Moonshine by William Motherwell.

Dragonfly Dreams

I live in the middle of suburbia.

A land of sidewalks, paved driveways and every now and then

a teensy, tiny greenspace.

We looked long and hard to find our house

and chose it because of its12,000 square foot lot

 in a well-treed neighbourhood.

But, was I going to find dragonflies here?

Of course not...

That is, until I planted my garden

and they began to visit

regularly.

Even then, a dragonfly pond?

Can you even build one just for dragonflies?

It turns out, you can :)

It took us a few years of experimenting and educating ourselves

before we recognized the Pond Dragons (dragonfly larvae)

that scuttled along the muddy bottom of the water.

This is the first year I saw them emerge...

from my pond...

my Dragonfly Pond.

I am over the moon and beyond happy.

In the first photo:

I rescued a dragonfly from the rising pond water.

Its wings had not yet hardened enough

for it to fly away.

In the second photo:

Something twinkling in my apple tree caught my eye.

It turned out to be a dragonfly drying its wings

in the sunlight.

In the final photo:

- Best of all -

I witnessed several dragonflies

laying their eggs in the moss near the water

which means...

more dragonflies will be born in

Dragonfly Pond!

Dragonfly dreams do come true :)

Onward To October

October began today with a quick change of weather

plunging us instantly into Autumn.

At the end of last month,

we were equally awed and spooked

by a Blood Moon caused by the lunar eclipse

on September 27th.

Since then, we have been treated,

nightly,

to glowing red skies and

sunsets,

with such a profound glow

that their colours seep into my windows

drawing my eyes, like a magnet,

to the sky.

Even the flowers,

long since having lost their petals

but eager to join in the celebrations 

have taken to catching the last light of day

in their seedy legs

causing all kinds of eerie patterns

for me to capture.

For now, I'm enjoying every red moment :)

And before we know it,

Halloween will be here!

Seed Of Dreams

Milkweed seeds send my imagination into flight.

It must be their soft white hairs

and the way they cling to their mother's shell

as they dance with every passing breeze.

They remind me of children.

As a parent,

I can't help but see

the caramel-coloured husk

as a home,

with all the children tucked safely inside,

protected from the harshness of the weather.

It will take a determined gust of wind

to finally pull them free.

They'll soar into the sky,

giddy with their freedom,

sparkling in the sunlight,

on their way to new opportunities.

The parent's job is done.

Remember,

we gave them wings

so they can fly.

The Secret Garden

I know of a garden, you might know one too,

It hides a big secret, as all gardens do.

There's magic in this place, and wonders to be found.

Creatures pass through it, with barely a sound.

They don't say too much, they're busy you see,

They're not in the garden to entertain me.

To each flower they fly, in a blinding zoom,

They're making sure, each plant will bloom.

Some inch along, wearing fabulous fur,

They must eat a lot, so transformation can occur.

Others lay out traps, and then run to hide,

Only when it rains can you see the gems inside.

At the end of every day there shines a special light,

Made of all different colours, so beautiful and bright.

That's the secret of a garden, tell others if you dare,

Understand that if you do, they will want to join you there.