Writing Prompt Wednesday: “Observations on an autumn afternoon”, a poem.

The leaves of a tree
whose name I do not know
Cling trembling still
amid other branches bare and
brown
And spot the ground beneath my feet
blood red against the mud
and shining rosy gold
in the autumn
sun
Dipping so low already
at not-quite-four in the afternoon
Meanwhile an old gnarled hedge–
see her name I do know–
squats nearby
its branches reaching far
and tangled in vines like an old great
octopus
The sweet scent of citrus lingers
and the bright green hedge apples
or Osage oranges, some would say
They color the mud too
and mix with the smell of the neighbors’
burning leaves
and maybe trash
(They like to do that around here)
And the caws of crows join
the rooster crowing
the red-tailed hawk calling
in the field
and the sharp reports of rifle fire
crack at regular intervals
someone taking target practice somewhere
(They like to do that around here too)
And in the slanting sunbeams mosquitos dance
late bloomers
trying for one last chance
at life
in this brief warmth
still crisp
The shadows stretch long and
thundering hooves make me look up where
out of the sun’s glare comes galloping up
my horse
He snorts hello
blowing hot breath from a velvet nose
But I have nothing in my pockets
so he drifts off again
pulling at long grass still green
even in autumn
So I walk on to take a seat
next to the pond
and there the flat water
perfectly still
reflects life
at surface level.

Originally written 11/28/2020
Revised 12/3/2020

Note: Whew boy it has been a looonnnnggggg time since I’ve felt like writing poetry! (And a loonnnngggg time since I’ve done WIP Wednesday!) Unlike my regular fiction, my poetry always needs to be inspired, lol. I can’t write poetry unless there’s a certain feeling present. On this day, that feeling popped up and I had to run all the way back to the house for my notebook. (Yes, I was really out walking on an autumn afternoon when this came to me, and yes, all of these things were from true observations, thus the very creative title of the poem. 😉 Additionally, the photo included shows the leaves that started this whole thing lol.) — J. R.)