An Autumn Reverie

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

Today’s poem first appeared on the blog in 2017.

As a student of English and American literature (early 50 years ago … oo-err!) at the University of Kent in Canterbury in the 1970’s, I enjoyed reading the works of Nathaniel Hawthorne. I dipped into his Notebooks and could as easily relate to this entry then as now notwithstanding a mobility problem and my coming up to 75 years-old.

“I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house."  - Nathaniel Hawthorne [Notebook, Oct. 10, 1842]

 AN AUTUMN REVERIE

Autumn leaves on a lake
caught like flies in a spidery web
of glittering sunlight

Breaking free in a breeze,
skimming feisty ripples, courtesy
of a north-westerly wind

Some taking off, low fly past
over sad trees standing at attention
for once-time companions

Others, caught in a sudden lull,
returned to the lake or as prodigals
to the earth’s safe-keeping

Somewhere, woodlands sounding
its Last Post by way of acknowledging
all its seasoned veterans

Glittering sunlight on a lake,
dead leaves like flies in a spidery web,
observers lost in thought

Copyright R. N. Taber 2017; 2020

Patchwork

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._N._Taber

Today's poem last appeared on the blog in 2008. Some readers may care to see/hear me read it among others on various themes on the 4^th plinth in London’s Trafalgar Square in July 2006 as part of Antony Gormley’s One and Other ‘living sculpture’ project for which 2400 people from all walks of life in the UK were invited to ‘do their own thing’ for one hour 24/7 over 100 days. The entire web-stream is now archived in the British Library and this is my contribution. Some readers have asked if I can send them a CD, but Sky Arts refused to let any of the participants have one so anyone who may want to watch it again needs to make a note of the link:

http://www.webarchive.org.uk/wayback/archive/20100223121732/oneandother.co.uk/participants/Roger_T - [For now, at least, this link needs the latest Adobe Flash Player  and works best in Firefox; the archives website cannot run Flash but changes scheduled for later this year may well mean the link will open without it. Ignore any error message and give it a minute or so to start up. The video lasts an hour. ] RT 3/18

  

Surely, there are few sights more encouraging or reassuring than to watch this sorry world of ours close down rather splendidly if a trifle disturbingly and only temporarily, of course...as if inviting us to do the same?

PATCHWORK

Dusk, a patchwork quilt spread

over trees and meadows’

warren, set, foxhole, well hid

from prying eyes

Late birds on slight, misty wing

heading for the nest;

walkers, ramblers, hastily

checking compasses

Children at play looking out

for text messages;

Middle England, on the edge

of things temporal

Green campaigners counting

hard won laurels;

curtain closing on one last peep

at a hazy beauty

Tasting raw smells of earthiness

and buttermilk sky;

empathy with a nightingale’s

plea to be left in peace

Random stars brought down,

like clay pigeons

by bonfires in back gardens

always taking liberties

Bats, alley cats, all putting a shine

on the Sandman’s boot

whose task to get us ready

for the next clay shoot

World, coming together briefly

to try and patch us up

Copyright R. N. Taber 2004; 2012

[Note: The appearance of this poem on the page has been revised from an earlier version first published in Nature's Tapestry, an anthology compiled for Poetry Now (Forward Press) 2002 and The Third Eye by R. N. Taber, Assembly Books, 2004.]