As I worked in the kitchen last weekend, a flash of bright movement caught my eye. There! In the apple tree! An apple was swinging back and forth. What!? A closer glance revealed the cause–a hungry jay perched and pecked. The force of each peck sent the dangling apple swinging wildly away. On it’s return, the jay pecked again. The moment caught me.
Autumn’s Pendulum
On a cider-sweet
autumn day,
one russet apple
gathers momentum
from the push and play
of gravity and jay,
a ruby flash
that swings and sways
pulsing in the heart
of the twisted tree,
marking time
while summer fades
and winter waits.
(c) Molly Hogan, 2016
This week’s Poetry Friday Roundup is at Carol’s Corner. Stop by to enjoy some poetry and give thanks for the wonder of words!
Nix the comfort zone 
Great one, Molly. I saw a cardinal eating my pumpkin on my porch until a squirrel chased him away. I know there’s a poem there, but hasn’t come so far. š
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I can’t wait to read that one, Brenda! I can see all the color and motion in my mind already! Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
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Absolutely delightful! I love the feeling of movement and the final line that’s caught between seasons. Wonderful poem!
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Thanks, Linda!
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I love this snapshot of nature! The pendulum is a perfect metaphor!
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Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
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Oh, wow! I love this so much — both the story of how it came about, and the form it took as a poem!
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Thanks, MaryLee!
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Such a wonderful farewell to autumn!
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Thanks, Jane. Autumn seems to be lingering this year.
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What a lovely poem. And thanks so much for sharing the inspiration. I am a watcher of seasonal changes, so I particularly like your opening lines: “On a cider-sweet
autumn day” and your closing lines: “while summer fades
and winter waits.”
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Thanks, Alice. There’s so much to notice and enjoy as the seasons change!
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This is wonderful, Molly, that “cider-sweet autumn day” starts it off with its gorgeous rhythm and rhyme. I’m glad you captured such a lovely moment.
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Thanks, Linda. I’m so glad you liked that phrase as it was a late addition (among many additions, deletions, revisions, etc, etc!).
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How lovely. I especially like the flow of these lines:
>>gathers momentum
from the push and play
of gravity and jay, <<
Thanks for sharing both the poem and how it came to be.
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Thanks for stopping by and commenting, Carmela. I really appreciate it.
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This is gorgeous, Molly! From the “cider-sweet autumn day” to the “pulsing in the heart/of the twisted tree” you’ve captured the moment perfectly! Hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
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Thanks, Catherine! I had a lovely time over Thanksgiving and hope you did as well. Not much writing, but lots of feasting and socializing!
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Ooooh, that is pure wonder. I appreciate the attention to the language, the long a sounds, the brevity–trying to figure out how I might connect that up for 2nd graders!
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Thanks, Heidi! I love the idea of you sharing the poem with your 2nd graders!
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These are my favourite lines:
pulsing in the heart
of the twisted tree
– very nice!
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Enjoyed this very much, Molly. Such beautiful color, movement, and metaphor!
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[…] summer. I’ve long enjoyed watching (and writing about) the birds at my feeders (hereĀ and hereĀ and lots of other places!). This year I’ve upped my interest and spent a considerable amount […]
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