Looking at Fall--By Jean Calkins--United States

Looking at Fall

“Looks like fall, don’t it?” and the old eyes       scanned the sky...
Black billows of some snow clouds were       scudding quickly by
And silently on tapered wing a brown hawk       cut the air,
Gliding on the cold, brisk wind, freed from all       earthly care.
The old man’s eyes took in the muted colors       of the trees;
Stark against the sky they stood, now nearly       bare of leaves.
Frost had touched the flowers, and fields of       corn stood brown,
Though here and there a golden maple wore       a crimson crown.
“Yep, sure does,” I answered, but my mind       surged on ahead
To winter with its snow and cold which I so       deeply dread.
“Live for today,” then comes to mind, and       who said it was wise
And so I join the old man as his eyes still       sweep the skies.

Jean, at 80, has been writing poems since she was 18. For 25 years she published a popular poetry quarterly of up to 100 pages, with a subscribership of nearly 500. Illness in 1986 ended the magazine. She currently publishes, by email, a 2-page monthly of clean humor. Contact her at jcalkins01@charter.net.