Welcome to Poetry Party No. 47!
I select an image and suggest a theme/title and invite you to respond with your poems or other reflections. Add your responses in the comments section. Feel free to take your poem in any direction and then post the image and invitation on your blog (if you have one) and encourage others to come join the party! (permission is granted to reprint the image if a link is provided back to this post)
Please post your poem in the comments section below (feel free to include a link to your blog – it would be wonderful to have all of the full text of all the poems gathered together below).
On Friday, September 17th I will draw a name at random from the participants and send the winner a signed copy of Water, Wind, Earth, and Fire: The Christian Practice of Praying with the Elements (see the latest glowing reviews here and an Abbey Shop Fall Special Offer).
Poetry Party Theme: Autumn Blessings
Autumn is my favorite season (followed closely by winter). I love the air getting crisper, I love the harvest of fall squashes, I love the transformation of the landscape into a witness to the beauty that can be found in surrender. Seven years ago my mother died suddenly in the month of October and my long walks among the autumn leaves offered me tremendous comfort in the depths of my grief. The seasons offer us great wisdom when we listen to their invitations and questions.
I invite you to write a poem about the gifts, graces, invitations, questions, and challenges of autumn. Let your words be a celebration and exploration.
You may also like:
- Solstice Blessings
- Season by the Sea
- Sacred Artist Interview: Bette Norcross Wappner
- More Winter Angels
- Holy Saturday: The Space Between
For me Fall means Samhain and All Saint's Day.
“Remember”
Remember! The wind howls through the canyon of the city:
Remember the roads you traveled,
Who you were,
And who you are.
Remember! the wind whispers through the leaves and along the graves:
Remember where you came from,
Those you come from,
And those who came before.
Remember to honor the saints and your ancestors:
Remember to raise a glass,
Eat with them,
And pray with them.
Remember how the veil thins and briefly you see the unseeable–
Remember the old magic–
The Other World comes close;
Be quiet and listen.
Dies Irae Dies Irae
Mozart's Requiem
haunts the chambers of autumn
haunts the echoing rooms of sadness
this dying time of year
calling forth from the closed doors
of my heart
a slow and tender procession
of loved ones
I watch
frozen in grief
as they pass
under the crying trees
on their way to eternity
Lacrimosa dies illa
the music fades
Mozart's Requiem
autumn
[...] this time but a bit of writing from me. It's a piece I contributed in response to the poetry invitation from Abbey of the Arts, to write about autumn blessings. I hope you like [...]
I dance under this tree
This tree which stands as a harbor for all the hopes that
Have set sail underneath her
There were stones
Whose ripples
Stole away the flesh of my desires and dreams
But Your wind blew them back to me
Received your lovely book today, Christine! THANK YOU !
i've posted about it today October 1st…
today i posted about your lovely book, CHristine – rcvd in yesterday's mail -
THANK YOU !