FALL? COUNT ME IN!
Bless me, I’m sneezin’
in this season I wheeze in.
Ragweed’s the reason
I’ve a runny nose
and I’m itchy, eyes to toes.
That’s the way it goes
when leaves are fallin’
and we’re crawlin’ in pollen.
Yet still, I’m all in
for chill in the air
and football (armchair) and fall’s
bright, color-rich flair!
© Marie Elena Good 2024
Smacks of death, say some.
But I smell Mom’s pies. Hear Dad’s
marching band pre-games.
Feel crisp air against
my sometimes still-a-bit-tanned-
from-summertime skin.
Marvel at the sky’s
puffy white and charcoal clouds
in deep blue setting.
Relish the jewel-tones
gradually gracing trees,
begging wonderment.
Enjoy leaves crunching
beneath the tires of my bike,
or cute-boot-dressed feet.
Experience leaves
raked in a pile over my
head, then jumping in.
Savor the taste of
a hardy stew with biscuits,
or bowl of chili.
Memories bring smiles,
like the Robbins Avenue
Pizza (a rare treat),
enjoyed on our porch
after walking home from a
nighttime football game.
Smacks of death, say some.
But my senses are filled with
what I’ve fallen for.
© Marie Elena Good, 2022
There’s a chill in the air. Just enough to grab a sweater and cute boots. Enough to birth sweet, crisp apples. The kind of perfect chill that calls my dad to mind - the pride I felt watching him direct the Star-Spangled Banner for the football pregame on a perfect autumn afternoon that smelled of popcorn and stadium dogs. The kind of chill that warms my heart and feeds my joy. Fall: The season of my heart. Fall: Collapse. As I drink in the season, life collapses at the feet of a friend. She writes of the woeful loss of her husband with words that both singe and chill. I know her only from afar, but I know her. How often have her stirring words and soothing photos of the beauty surrounding her touched my heart, and lifted my spirits? How often has she bravely shared the slow slide of Alzheimer’s as it stole her sweetheart far too soon? When the news came to me, I spent much time vainly stringing words and counting syllables - only to realize there’s a chill in the air, and no words warm enough. © Marie Elena Good, 2021 Dearest Janet: May you feel the strength of our Father’s love, and the warmth of your Poetic Bloomings family. Gentle hugs …
Love autumn with all of my all,
‘cept the end of October’s curveball:
Don’t mean to be mean,
but don’t like Halloween!
(Please don’t spook me or trick me, y’all.) 😉
© Marie Elena Good, 2020
Photo by Marie Elena Good
I prefer my sun
Filtered through dense forest pines;
The air I breathe, chilled.
© Marie Elena Good, 2018
When fall visits,
we crisscross the trail –
never tiring
of the crunch of crisp leaves
beneath us,
savoring childlike fun.
The brisk, fresh air
invigorates –
motivates us to
ride further,
sometimes pausing
to capture photos
of fall foliage, fields
dotted with orange pumpkin;
orchards with red apples.
Bushed and beaming,
we head home,
cautiously peering
around multi-colored leaf
piles raked to the curb –
some taller
than the cars avoiding them.
Home,
warm and cozy,
fire in the fireplace,
popcorn popping,
already reminiscing,
hoping tomorrow
is more of the same.
© Marie Elena Good, 2018
FOR POETIC BLOOMINGS AUTUMNAL POEM-A-DAY CHAPBOOK CHALLENGE, 2018, DAY 9: SOUP
Leaves heave themselves, as they,
Gutsy as this gusty day,
Beg the children come and play
Before autumn slips away.
© Marie Elena Good, 2018
FOR POETIC BLOOMINGS AUTUMNAL POEM-A-DAY CHAPBOOK CHALLENGE, 2018, DAY 7: WINDY
Its very shadows fall uniquely fall
And that begins the season, in my eyes.
Trees flame with reds, or yellow fireballs
As autumn’s colors blaze against blue skies.
It sets my heart alight, and makes me smile.
Its cool air feels delightful to breathe in.
Its mood ignites a passion in my soul.
It is my chosen season – long has been.
Trees captivate me as their colors spill,
Like kindling for reflections long-since gone –
The merriment my child-heart treasures, still.
So much to love … excuse my rambling on …
But passion for Ohio’s autumn days
Will burn in me forever and always.
© Marie Elena Good, 2018
FOR POETIC BLOOMINGS AUTUMNAL POEM-A-DAY CHAPBOOK CHALLENGE, 2018, DAY 3: FIRE
Photo credit: Keith R. Good
PENCHANTS
my air,
chilled
my coffee,
hot
my words,
spilled
my muse,
caught.
© Marie Elena Good, 2018
FOR POETIC BLOOMINGS AUTUMNAL POEM-A-DAY CHAPBOOK CHALLENGE, 2018 DAY 1 PROMPT: COLD
Photo credit: Keith R. Good
Way back, when I was just a little girl
My heart fell hard and fast for autumn’s charms.
As summer ends, the joys of fall unfurl,
With football, marching bands, and pumpkin farms.
Drum cadence seems to beat within my chest
As scarlet, gold, and ginger grace our trees.
The scents of burning leaves, and apples pressed,
Or baked ‘tween flaky crusts, give me weak knees.
When sun shines full in autumn’s deep blue sky,
Or harvest moon looms larger than my home,
It simply leaves me breathless. My-oh-my,
I cannot paint my fondness in a poem.
I have this wish – believe me, it’s sincere –
I wish fall lingered ten more months per year.
© Marie Elena Good, 2018
