a long and gracious fall by david budbill

i shared this poem last fall as well, but came across it today and it just felt so perfect i thought i'd share it again:

A long and gracious fall this year.

The leaves are down. Gardens: emptied,

manured, tilled, smooth, waiting.

Mower and tiller serviced and put away.

Smoker put away, as is the summer table.

Prayer flags, windsocks , and their poles: down.

Twenty-foot homemade badminton poles,

peace flag at the top of one, store-bought net-

all down and put away for another year. No more

outdoor summer chores.

Fall planting-- peonies and tiger lilies-- done. 

Summer flower stocks removed, beds mulched,

a blanket for the cold. Fall pruning done.

Woodshed roof hammered down and sealed again.

Cellar closed. Drive staked and flagged so the

snowplow knows where to go.

What else is there to do? Finally, for once, we are ready

for the snow. Ready to come inside. Time now for

words and music, poems and shakuhachi. Time now

to light some incense, sit and stare at the candlelight.