October. Wickapecko Road. Ocean Township, New Jersey. 2014. Paul Goldfinger photograph ©

Hi Paul:

Greetings from Manhattan. The spectacular scenery of autumn often keeps us from seeing what is really happening in nature at this time of the year. Here is the poem, “October,” from my 2009 collection, Green Vistas.

Best wishes,
Charles Pierre

“October”

Each tree withholds the flow
of sap from branch to leaf,
and the specter of death
spreads across the woodlands,
where seasonal flowers pale
before the blaze of foliage.

I watch the long cortege
of red, orange, yellow,
gold, brown and purple
pass in the cold air,
without any sorrow
at this funeral of the year.

Forgetful of all the lost
greenery, my sharp need
for color fed once again,
I hike a scenic trail at dusk
with dry autumn eyes
to catch the last bright flash.

BEVERLY KENNEY:  “Tis Autumn.”