(Photo from the National Park Service: Monarch butterfly on Goldenrod)
The summer bids a lingering farewell.
The sunflowers rejoice in gold and green.
Winter will soon be here, it's plain to tell.
The jewelweeds fire orange and yellow shell.
No yellow leaves on walnut trees are seen.
The summer bids a lingering farewell.
Though willow still weeps green above the well,
The poplars clearly show us what they mean:
Winter will soon be here, it's plain to tell.
The goldenrod tolls the black locust's knell;
One won't be long where the other one has been.
The summer bids a lingering farewell.
The deer are fat and insolent; can tell
That lawful hunting's not yet on the scene.
Winter will soon be here, it's plain to tell.
May you, dear readers, be safe, warm, and well
As green departs and northeast winds grow keen.
Though summer bids a lingering farewell,
Winter will soon be here, it's plain to tell.
The Poets & Storytellers United present poems and prose that celebrate the autumn season.
Always tricky to write a villanelle, but I enjoyed yours very much!
ReplyDeleteYes, winter always comes, just a matter of time. The follege winds the time. I liked reading of the various plants.
ReplyDeleteGreat job with the villanelle. Impressed.
ReplyDeleteI like the ominous feel of this! Villanelles are great for conveying a subtle intensity, and you pulled this one off well.
ReplyDeleteOh,l ovely to encounter a villanelle! I was particularly struck by the 'insolent' deer – being in a country that doesn't have them.
ReplyDeleteYes, they come right into people's yards, saunter along roads, and when startled they sometimes bolt right into oncoming cars and leave dents. Poor silly things. They do have enough sense to clear out when people start shooting at them.
DeleteSome think deer hunting is a male bonding exercise. Some think it's a romantic thing for couples. I let a few people lurk in the orchard and feel sort of glad that they never find a deer there.
PK
Your poem, the form, absolutely gorgeous!!! It's plain to tell.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the encouraging words, fellow Poets & Storytellers!
ReplyDelete