dear friends…these two poems were always planned to be companion pieces, i was just waiting for ‘the day the leaves fall’ to combine them. oddly enough, the day ‘respite’ posted, the wind played it’s part. this beautiful instrumental played it’s part as well, the second poem was written to the tempo of the music. if you pick it up, passages in the poem should coincide with crescendos in the song. ty, and i hope you enjoy!
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respite.
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the still Autumn wind
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suspending leaves in… mid fall,
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resting in blue sky….
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the day the leaves fall.
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because only a milisecond
separates stillness from storm
shrill winds suddenly howling as
sleepy worlds sleep, stripping
bare all we know.
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each Autumn leaf
and warming palette of life,
my safe womb under canopy
is such beauty discarded.
trampled like litter,
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along streets
and on sidewalks.
because
everything changes,
the day the leaves fall.
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and the squirrels
they quicken their forage
fast finding bounty,
and begging for handouts,
before first frost concretes soil.
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because
everything changes,
the day the leaves fall.
a flourescent white sky
is falling upon me
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is blinding
these eyes, has
brittled these bones.
the ground shifts unstable
my thoughts are unsteady,
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foul memories haunt me
the feared shapelings of doubt.
ghastly spirits gather,
like ghosts they’re in hiding.
and lurk in grey clouds,
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bleeding in
and… bleeding out.
because
everything changes,
the day the leaves fall.
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oh
sing your song to me
my sweet songbird of seasons
beckon me Homeward
my loyal siren of Love
i hear your melody,
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as i stand pale among trees.
our colors erased,
and our hearts are in doubt.
cradle me warm in your
down feathered embrace,
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nestle me closer as
the winds now are scowling!
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because
everything…. changes,
the day…. the leaves… fall.
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who could know then 
Reblogged this on 20 Lines A Day.
[…] respite…….the day the leaves fall (whocouldknowthen.wordpress.com) […]
I absolutely loved reading this…your words “such beauty discarded, trampled like litter” reminds me so much of my own despair when I see this in the fall. I could never quite capture it the way you did here. There is a visceral reaction, a longing to cling to it, hold it dear, but it must go…beautiful.
hi Muddletation ty, and a very warm welcome to you! yes, i feel the same despair,
especially living in a city like Chicago. leaves are seen as another of nature’s
inconveniences, a nuisance, to be blown and bagged. ugghh! one day there is warmth,
beauty, protection from the blinding light, the next….
how we change with the Seasons – writers affected more than others I think. Our moods up or down on any given day that the clouds are grey or the sun shines, the colours of the trees, the birds who sing…to this to us – you have brought everything {hugs}
‘you have brought everything’…and the kitchen sink too! i’ve been waiting for this,
dreading this day in fact. my body and psyche involuntarily react this way every year
when the leave fall. i don’t do well in the Winter, though some years are easier than others,
i just pray for a short as possible season of cold and grey.
I know what you mean – I do not fare very well in the cold and dark months.. as you write in the grey I shall be writing in the golds and yellows. Funny how SAD affects us ~ then again many a great verse comes out of the ‘grey’
well, i hope so, i guess.lol pressing the fast forward machine to
sometime in April would be my wish come true, for the first sign
of Daffs and Tulips and color and sun!
or escaping to another destination where the sun shines all year…. if only. We have Spring – so blossoms and daffs and perfumed gardens, strangely though I think I write better in Winter…we are an odd lot at times 🙂
‘an odd lot’…haha, yeah i definitely am, not so easy to live with either
during this season. luckily Scout is as steady as anyone i know, she
is my songbird of ALL seasons, what affects me slides off her like water
off a duck’s back.
one year it got so bad, she booked an emergency trip to Mexico, to some
fantastic seaside resort. i stepped off the bus in the parking lot and
stood there with my arms outstretched in the binding sun, and 100 degree
temp and in 15 minutes i was on my way to normal.
Bless her cotton socks 🙂 – I wish I could do that – instead I swallow Vitamin D capsules :-(…not quite the same! My Mr. S sounds like Scout – though admittedly he hates the cold weather too.
‘Bless her cotton socks’ LOL! oh that’s ne i need to remember!
i have one of those full spectrum lights now, it helps a lot and
our past few winters have been ‘unusually short with lots of sun.
i’m hoping for that again!
I gather you have not heard of that before? 🙂
Well let us hope that your winter is short once again, the seasons are definitely changing….
Your words are so wonderful. Always. I feel so lucky to have found you…but alas, not luck…destiny, for your words warm my worn and broken heart.
oh Sis, if i could warm your heart every day, i would!
yes, Destiny has intervened for us, i couldn’t be more thankful.
Love and Hugs to you Sis, bundle up today!
Like the jeweled leaves suspended, in “respite,” we are…till the mournful undertow of your “the day the leaves fall” sweeps us under, shifting our feet’s ground, blinding us with fluorescent whiteness, rendering us pale memories of ourselves hovering amidst ghostly trees…. UNTIL we remember to call to the feathered songbird, loyal, embracing siren of L O V E! Thank you for sharing your lovely, poignant, poetic world, MW, and for the hope and redemption. I do believe that writing it out helps…the poet, the reader, the universe. Light to you, with love p.s. Love the swelling, dramatic musical selection–thank you.
oh Sirena, your poetic responses to my poetry is so inspiring,
just makes me want to write forevr. ty for always being so invested,
so committed to reaching my truth. that means a great deal to me.
and Ludovico is sheer genius, i ve used this piece before;
https://whocouldknowthen.wordpress.com/2013/07/09/in-the-wings/
and i’ll probably use it again sometime,
it’s just perfect music to write by and with.
sending Love and Hugs your way, sweet Sirena ty.
Really liked this. Also a massive fan of Ludovico….I often find his music very easy to write too. I quite like ‘Nightbook’ from his Islands album.
hi arranbhansal, ty and a warm welcome to you. yes Ludovico has become
a constant source of music to write by for me as well. ty for the share,
i don’t know that piece and now i’ll have to look it up.
Beautiful, and such a lovely musical arrangement to accompany the words. I get how the words (and meaning) followed the tempo. I like how you ended with the photograph of the egg – even though everything changes the day the leaves fall, everything will be renewed come the spring. There is lots of imagery in this poem and the phrase, my sweet songbird of seasons is what sums it up for me.
WOW! Lee, did you ever NAIL all that i was trying to express in this poem!
ty, ty, ty for delving deep into the words and images too, they are very
meaningful to me. i lean heavily on Scout during the winter until Spring arrives,
she is a rock for me during these times of distress. you are amazing, ty so much!
Ah, now you’ve made me blush. I had to smile when I found out, from your about page, who Scout was, because many years ago I had a Border Collie Dog called Scout! Please don’t be offended – it’s a popular name for a sheepdog in Scotland (where I lived at the time). 😀
oh no offense at all Dawn, our Puggle is named Scout too ! lol
it’s a very popular name in our household.
Puggle? Is that a Pug and a Beagle cross? We have a Woodle (!) – miniature Poodle x Welsh Terrier called Bella. 😀
yes, that’s exactly right. i wrote a post about our dogs and how we found them,
i can find the linky if you want to read it? a Woodle?, no that i have not heard of
and i work with dogs.
crossing breeds are a big thing here in the States,
Doodle’s the most popular, a Lab / Poodle mix.
What glimpses to a falling heartfelt love song that carries miles of melancholy hopes. Auspicious writing friend ~ Faithfully Debbie
yes, even my love poetry is tinged with melancholy, i can’t escape it.
ty so much Deb, ‘auspicious’ from you is high praise indeed!
What a treat, thank you 😉
i’m so glad you enjoyed it Dawn, ty so much.
Oh, friend….so lovely are your words. Such beautiful melancholy 🙂
And I’m so glad you have your songbird to warm you.
Yet….I’ve found a way we differ! Fall is my favorite time of year. The brisk air rejuvenates my soul. The crunching of leaves underfoot is music to my ears. My sadness is that living in Florida now robs me of any real Autumn or Winter.
oh sweet Melanie, we both share the Love of Autumn, i just grieve
and fear the day the leaves fall, when i realize it will quickly
be coming to an end and my season of fear is near.
and yes, Scout, my songbird has warmed and saved me more times
than i want to recall sometimes, especially during Winter.
hhmm, hey, how about a trade, ’cause Florida sounds awfully
appealing right about now! LOL! sending you Love and Hugs Melanie…
… a wonderful read!
“because only a milisecond
separates stillness from storm
shrill winds suddenly howling as
sleepy worlds sleep, stripping
bare all we know.”
These lines touched my heart most.
Stunning. Thank you for sharing.
hi Noora, ty, ty, ty. you and i like the same passage,
it’s rare that the first passage is my favorite but
it just is. lol!