Saturday, December 22, 2007

Was That Fall? I Blinked...Did I Miss It?


Florida never knows what to do with Fall.
Not sure if she should even bother at all.
It seems so silly, to drop good leaves early,
and fussing with leaf color makes her surly.
I tell her it's okay, she can let summer go,
she asks, why drop leaves, are you expecting snow?
Not snow girl, just a brief sensation of season.
She's unconvinced and doesn't see my reason.
Girls can be stubborn, but so can men,
I'll go for a compromise if I know I can't win.
I say subtle is okay, no need for a big Maine show.
She rattles her keys, (heehee) impatient, ready to go,
Then tosses me a smile, which I return with relief.
Okay, you can have Fall, but only one leaf.
Suddenly Fall arrives, oh joy, oh bliss,
A single leaf, just in time for winter solstice.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

This was just awesome.

valown said...

Niiice. Two weeks past we had summer here. Last week arrived with some winter. Three days before Christmas it is spring again, aglow with a glitter.

robin andrea said...

A wonderful poem, fc. You remind me of an article that was in The Onion. The headline is:
Fall Cancelled After 3 Billion Seasons.

Fall, the long- running series of shorter days and cooler nights, was canceled earlier this week after nearly 3 billion seasons on Earth, sources reported Tuesday.

The classic period of the year, which once occupied a coveted slot between summer and winter, will be replaced by new, stifling humidity levels, near- constant sunshine, and almost no precipitation for months.

Anonymous said...

You're welcome to some extra fallen leaves any time, FC!

Kimberlee said...

Great poem! I really enjoy the way you mix realistic observances with a good dose of humor. Wonderful way to approach life, I'd say. Your photo is beautiful too. I grew up in the South, then transplanted to the Far North. Somehow I've always missed out on real fall foliage. Enjoy your leaf! :)

Deb said...

Nice photo. Fall seems like a distant memory here.

Anonymous said...

Roadkill poetry, indeed. Wonderful! And that's quite the maple leaf. When I was down a couple weeks ago the sky was a flutter with live oak leaves for a nice layer of mulch. Helps keep down the weeds that seem to crop up all through that next Florida season: winter. And then it's time to start datil peppers!

When I lived where Wren now lives the city would collect the leaf piles out in the street in front of the house before trucking them away. Sometimes the pile reached two stories, easily.

R.Powers said...

Danielle,
Thanks!

RCW,
We may actually have a chilly Christmas after all. At least it won't be hot.

Robin,
Our Fall is always an odd thing, being on the edge of the subtropics. We tend to stay warm long into what most people think of as winter. Our live oaks won't drop leaves until January sometime.
So Fall here is always wishy washy, but tropical storms in December like the one a few weeks ago are NOT normal.

Wren,
Our sandy barren soil craves them!

Deb,
I imagine you may have forgotten summer totally.
:)
Hang in there.

Vicki,
Thanks!
Your St. Pete oaks are ahead ours.
Yes, Datil pepper seed starting should commence soon. I usually rely on my Dad for starts, but this year I think I'll start some of my own.
My coontie babies are vigorously vibrant. I hope yours are too.

threecollie said...

Well done! Fall may have just ended yesterday on the calendar, but the great Northeast let go a long time ago.

Anonymous said...

I have no response for this.

R.Powers said...

3C,
Anything arrive to warm things up?

Pablo,
One wonders ... is that a good thing or are you just aghast?
:)

Anonymous said...

I, much like Pablo, am tongue-tied when in the presence of greatness.

threecollie said...

Mail is notoriously slow here from there (we have family in Jax Beach and know from past experience)..bit we are waiting eagerly and thinking kindly, thanks

Sharon said...

Bravo!! :) Merry Christmas to everyone at PFHQ :)

R.Powers said...

Kmoo,
I bet you say that to all the roadkill poets. Merry Christmas.

3C,
Hope it makes it! Merry Christmas.

Sharon,
Thanks. Merry Christmas to y'all too!