When November Comes (with audio)

Cherry

By marandina

Tue, 16 Nov 2021
  • 1621 reads
11 comments
 

Audio version at https://soundcloud.com/user-62051685/when-november-comes-mp3

 

When November Comes

 

Leaves of russet curl into balls of withered rust,

amber sunsets summon winter shadows at dusk,

obsidian night skies backlit by luminous constellations,

meteor showers spray dust on half-light faeries.

 

Moon beams dance on an empyrean canvas of onyx,

stars slowly, stoically, arc across an inky-black horizon,

clouds of nimbus drift like fading memories in time,

dog walks in gloaming, rustling fronds of bracken.

 

Citrine-coloured lakes where swans swim alone,

adumbration of mist in veiled, verdant forests,

moss-covered gravestones, the Dead sleep as bones,

lost souls in purgatory roam, endless, dreamless thoughts.

 

Ancient Gods cast runes, evoking spirits of past millennia,

revered lore venerated, sanctified ancestral bloodlines,

driving rain, sleet and snow, ice-bound mountain tops,

spotted deers cast silhouettes in car headlamps at midnight.

 

Harvests now done once more, leaner times ahead,

evenings of fires crackling, kindle burns to ash,

watching from windows, frost frozen in lace curtains,

November soon forgotten by December’s cold kiss.

 

Image free to use at WikiCommons via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mountain#/media/File:Everest_North_Face_to...

Certificate U
Poem
Miscellaneous Poems
Spiritual

Comments

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

I love this imaginative poem Paul, you capture the heart of November and bring into focus the beautiful mystery of nature. 

Really enjoyed reading and sums up perfectly my feelings too.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by marandina on

Thanks for reading, Jean. November is a funny month to write about as it's generally overlooked. Glad you thought it kinda captured the aspects OK. Paul :)

 

Submitted by celticman on

the dead sleep as bones, I do that too. It's nice to look and be able to also listen on audio. 

 

Submitted by marandina on

Thanks for reading (and listening to my industrial Brummie accent if you did) CM. Always good to hear from you. Paul

 

Submitted by marandina on

Ah thanks for the cherries, ABC Eds. Much appreciated. Paul

 

Submitted by Turlough on

I like the way that you remind us that December comes as more of a shock than November does. November is just the dark end of autumn with all the mystery and dreaminess that you describe so well, lulling us into a place of comfort before December hits. A cruel twist at the end of your tale!

I enjoyed your poem, especially the industrial Brummie accent.

Were you in Birmingham when you took the photograph?

 

Turlough

Submitted by marandina on

Ah thanks for reading it (and listening), Turlough. Yes, November seems a bit of a tunnel between October and December with not much going on other than the build up to Christmas (and Bonfire Night, Diwali etc).

The pic is of Mount Everest and my profile pic was taken at Cheddar in Somerset. Maybe a pic of Brum will make it into a story/poem at some point.

Thanks again. Paul

 

Submitted by Rhiannonw on

Many thoughts here. You evoke the dark gloomy November days, though noting the skies can be bright with meteor showers.

Maybe that is why the association for some with thoughts of foggy fear for the dead or 'purgatory-bound'. So much slowly dying, whereas in winter, so much is dead, but the hope turns to new growth and warmth soon exptected.

rustling fronds of bracken.at dusk made me think of the brighter November days. I did a collection of all the months a few years ago, and in 'November' contrasted the bright, sunny, crunchy-leaf days with the darker, shrinkng days intermixed .

Rhiannon

 

Submitted by marandina on

Thanks for reading it, Rhiannon. And thanks for the thoughtful comments. November is a month of conflicting emotions with the dark and cold but with Christmas so close. I do love all the colours of Autumn with fallen leaves making a canvas all of their own. Thanks again and hoping you are well. Paul

 

Submitted by jeand on

HI Paul

 

You use such lovely original words to paint your wonderful picture.

Jean Day

Submitted by marandina on

Ah thanks for reading it, Jean. Paul