Saturday, October 18, 2014

Hunting Season



The leaves in silent fire
are mellowing,
a cool, crisp blaze
before the frost—
the last cracKle, pOp
before Old Man Winter
grays us with his beard.

We watch
as orange and white
petals of autumn suns
l           i           n          g                      e                                  r
like paper lanterns,
and then
the current
rolls them on—

I snuggle in
close beside you,
sip roasted dandelion tea
dripped with honey in the cup,
and on my tongue—

hoping you
track the scent
and catch me

mid-fall.


© 2014 Jennifer Wagner



28 comments:

Tank said...

I love the fall - and this poem especially "as orange and white petals of autumn suns linger..." I initially had thought "cool, she wrote a poem about my bear hunting!" -ha, you know you're my favorite quarry...

Mary said...

Jennifer, this is truly lovely! You have REALLY captured the spirit of autumn. Yes, the last snap, crackle, and pop before winter. Sad to me really, as I look at the beautiful leaves right now, knowing in 2 weeks they will have descended. Loved the last stanza and the kind of play on words with 'mid-fall.'

Gabriella said...

A beautiful poem, which reflects the tone and colors of the season in a vivid way. "The leaves in silent fire / are mellowing" - they are, and so are we! It is indeed a time to snuggle in and ponder>

Sherry Blue Sky said...

Oh how I love this. Love the look of the wpords on the page, the luscious encapsulation of autumn's richness, the roasted dandelion tea........and the being captured mid-fall. Wonderful writing!

Vandana Sharma said...

Ah! such a lovely song for the autumn, always bringing happiness:)

brudberg said...

Yes we are in that moment when it tips when the fall into winter is coming. And how we appreciate that closeness - though I would do it with coffee instead,

Sumana Roy said...

love the warmth till end :)...beautiful

a good atheist said...

love how you've captured the quiet and steady pace of the season

Old Egg said...

Such beauty in autumn makes it treasured and memorable helping us through the winter.

Dr. Pearl Ketover Prilik (PKP) said...

Oh you have caught a bit of the flame, taste, sense, sight, sound and feel of fall
Beautiful :)

Anonymous said...

Delightful poem, particularly the ending...made me smile.

Grace said...

I adore the sweet ending, smiles ~ Love that lingering colors like paper lanterns ~

Susan said...

Beautifully done in every way. You make me see what lingers before "Old Man Winter / grays us with his beard." and "the current / rolls them on." You make me feel/taste/want the honey and to be caught "mid-fall."

Abin Chakraborty said...

lovely conclusion.the pun on 'fall' in the end opens up so many different meanings.wonderfully done.

Gen Giggles said...

Well that's one way to avoid becoming a deer hunting widow.

Panchali said...

Wow....I just loved the gorgeous 'petals of autumn suns
l i n g e r
like paper lanterns,
and then
the current
rolls them on—" Beautifully written. Wish I could turn my face up and let them rain down on me! Lovely...

Kerry O'Connor said...

There is something very comforting in the snuggling up time of Autumn and Winter.

ZQ said...

haha funny, sweet, and wonderful.
ZQ

Wendy Bourke said...

A lovely capture. Beautiful words. Right up there with some of your very best work, Jennifer!

Justin Lamb said...

Very nice, both the content and the form. You captured fall and a bit of romance quite well. :)

TALON said...

This was so lyrical and beautiful. Makes me like autumn even more, Jennifer.

Brian Miller said...

linger like paper lanterns...then blow on...i love that description...
love the snuggling of the season as well...
funny we were just talking about dandelion tea
with the boys today...

Optimistic Existentialist said...

I love how autumn lingers, I find it the most romantic and sensual time of the year.

janetld said...

This is indeed lovely, warm, and real.

Magyar said...

__The leaves on the breeze. A metaphor; leaves are imaginations searching with the wind, to places not before seen. _m

Lisa A. Williams said...

What a lovely tribute to fall!

RMP said...

such stunning description... I really enjoyed the images you strung together...and the ending, quite perfect way to warm things up.

Anonymous said...

smartly and sensual, Jen ~