Poem: Autumn Befalls All

Peering out the window
on this Northern Autumn equinox morn
tree leaves spiraling down
kissing the ground

Blessings of the season;
the slowing, shortening, changing,
letting go, dying away;
revealing the beauty of its’ rhythm

Last crops are harvested
the rest dies down
the ground lies dormant
a quietening, stillness abounds

Animals preparing
storing food and seeking shelter
migrating to fairer climes
naturally they fair

Light fading, shadows lengthening
the sun drops over the celestial equator
to the southern hemisphere
its’ Vernal equinox of new life

A Cosmic, Earthy-thing is
happening, of which we humans
are a small part; with blessings of
mysterious awe and transformed hearts

A time to contemplate
the living and the dead
a Fall Triduum: All Hallows Eve,
All Saints Day, All Souls Day 

A time to appreciate with
cornucopias of gratitude
and the heart’s thanksgiving for
the cycles of growth and shriveling

Remembering the unity
of the many dancing as the one
doing nothing and leaving nothing undone
Autumn in the North befalls all

Herb Stone, hereandnow working poetry,
September, the Autumn Equinox, 2019

Photos by Herb Stone