Early October Snow
by Robert Haight
It will not stay.
But this morning we wake to pale muslin
stretched across the grass.
The pumpkins, still in the fields, are planets
shrouded by clouds.
The Weber wears a dunce cap
and sits in the corner by the garage
where asters wrap scarves
around their necks to warm their blooms.
…click here to read the rest

Bee Balm in her winter bonnet
This week’s Poetry Friday Roundup is hosted by Brenda Davis Harsham at her delightful blog, Friendly Fairy Tales. Click here to visit and enjoy her wonderful photographs and poems and also the Roundup.
Thanks for sharing this chilly but lovely changing season poem Molly! I like the metaphors Robert Haight has used,
“leaves, still soldered to their branches,”
and
“like a morning we pause at the mirror
inspecting the single strand of hair
that overnight has turned to snow.
Many interpretations here, and your photo fits beautifully too!
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That ending surprised and delighted me (she says as she touches her silvering hair).
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A beautiful poem. The lines that made me tingle were these:
“the black and white photo of winter
carefully laid over the present autumn,”
Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you for sharing. I like the image of flowers wearing snowy scarves.
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That was an image that captured me too, Rebecca, and sent me scurrying through my photo files to find that bee balm picture. Glad you enjoyed the poem and thanks for commenting.
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What beauties, Molly, poem and picture. We too had that muslim sretched across the garden. I’m long past that ‘single strand’, but it is a surprise at the end to connect the snow to that discovery.
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We haven’t had that muslin yet–thank goodness! I do love the images of asters adorned with scarves and cloud-shrouded planetary pumpkins but I’m not eager to see them just yet.
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I love this poem, Molly. How uncanny! I was thinking about snow today and setting my sights on what to call my winter gallery.
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It’s been unseasonably warm up in Maine this fall. I love the first snowfall but also dread the continued cold–mostly because of my old drafty house and the insane cost of heating it. How impressive that you’re already in planning stages for your winter gallery! Did you come up with a name yet?
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Last year, I called the gallery, Winter Wonder. I have been speaking at conference, On the Wonder Pathway, so I think I will call the gallery Winter Wonders. It will open the gallery up to many people who experience winter with or without snow. What do you think?
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Molly, save that photo for the winter gallery and perhaps you will write your own poem as the companion to Haight’s.
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Hmmmm….I just might do that! Thanks for the nudge, Carol.
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Snow in October?!? Oh my goodness…I’m not ready to let go of autumn just yet. 🙂
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No snow here yet, thank goodness! I just loved the images and the ending of this poem, so I thought I’d share. Hopefully I didn’t inadvertently invoke the Snow Spirits!
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What an appropriate poem for us today with snow (definitely not sticking around) in the forecast for overnight. This poem has such lovely images–though I can relate a little too much to finding the gray hairs in the mirror. Where did they come from?
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I love the ending. I’m carrying more than a few gray hairs myself (though I prefer to call them silver).
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We have not had our muslin snow yet, but often do shortly. Hoping it holds off for a bit more. I love this poem!
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So glad you like the poem, Donna. I love the images. It almost …almost…made me look forward to snow. I’ll be ready soon, but not quite yet.
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So beautiful and so many great lines…this is one of my faves. Thanks for sharing!
“The pumpkins, still in the fields, are planets
shrouded by clouds.”
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So glad you enjoyed it, Penny. Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
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What a lovely poem–lyrical but also just the daily truth. I hope you haven’t had snow yet, though–tooooooo early!
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No snow yet–thank goodness! (Lots of gray hair though!)
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Perfect timing — our first flakes fell today! No “muslin” or “dunce caps” but the flakes flew and we shivered a bit!
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I’m looking forward to the first few flakes, but not yet ready for an onslaught. The “dunce cap” on the Weber made me laugh.
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That is one gorgeous poem! Thanks for sharing it.
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Glad you liked it, Violet!
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Thanks for sharing this beautiful poem! Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com
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Thanks for stopping by, Ruth. I’m so glad you enjoyed the poem.
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Molly, what a beautiful poem, like a snapshot of my youth, when it was much colder than this year. I especially liked, “we have glanced out a window /into the near future”. It feels like I’m stepping out into the near past some days, it’s so warm.
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It’s been quite warm here as well, Brenda. I’m torn because it doesn’t seem quite right, but I’m enjoying the later start to the heating season and oil bills!
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Yes! I’m enjoying leaving my coats in the closet. But I’m grateful we got some rain.
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I love the concept, laying a photo of winter over the image of autumn — much more poetic than Photoshop. 🙂
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It made me think of those books from my childhood where you could lift plastic printed sheets to reveal new images beneath or lay them down one at a time to build on the underlying image. (Here’s hoping you have a clue what I’m talking about as I don’t think I expressed it very well! lol)
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Nice photo to go with your poem, Molly! I especially liked the same lines Sally mentioned, and the ending that was like a surprise frost 🙂
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Thanks, Tabatha. I had previously captioned that photo as it is, so it seemed like a perfect fit with those scarf-toting asters.
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