when september arrives,

the sound of wind picks up
but softly
because all leaves can't fall on the ground at once.

school boys whisper
ties are crisp
shoes shined
corduroy in straight lines.
texture at attention.

when september arrives
school has begun
summer has ended
searsucker hangs forlorn on wooden hanger.

close your eyes
almost
because the light shifts in whispers
and the lightest touch
becomes loud
as september progresses.

click
a girl in a dress.
click
a girl in a suit.

when september arrives
sails taut
water chills
picnic tables lay bare
until Indian Summer arrives
     and fools us all for a minute.

autumn is on the way
when september arrives.

quietly
tiptoeing in
like faeries painting sleeping dust
gilting leaves, and crisping their edges
slow and low.

wind is bellowing, or picking up the speed to do so.
we are in tomatoes and strawberries and even figs for a spell
but it's tomfoolery by pixies united.
because when september arrives
     there's no going back
to suntan lotion and easy flirtations
to watermelon and corn on the cob and water fights.

we straighten ourselves in september.
get back to work.
starch shirts and
pull out our last bits and bobs from the garden.

thinking about summer, just a few days ago, is lovely still.
I left the house without a jacket even when I knew I would return home at night,
I stepped out of the shower and let the air dry me
I walked the dogs only when dusk fell.

summer is gone
when september arrives.
almost.
we are betwixt and between in

September.

Our eyes are at work but thoughts are elsewhere. On the shore. Rowing. Swimming.
Catching fireflies.

when september arrives it's like taking a train ride for the first time.
everything is new and big and solid
and yet we have to get on to leave somewhere
we feel we've been forever.
we wave goodbye to those on the platform who appear to stand stock still
as we edge away a chug & a groan at a time
and then trees and green and blue and water are fleeting past us,
and depending on how we refocus,
we can see a bit at a time

glance, a bird in the marsh
glance, balloon stuck in branch
whoosh
glance, a partial stone wall going up
over the hill
flat sky

hand against glass.
     au revoir.

when september arrives
hands unclasp
she tells you one thing but means another
you know it and think she does too
but she's stayed behind on the platform, looking at the train leaving. blank.

the wind picks up now
and whips around papery leaves
clumpfuls missing from full canopies like tears in an umbrella.

I can see the sky peeking through and it's gone from deep indigo to cerulean or washed out royal.

when september arrives,

don't let it fool you.
it's not goodbye or farewell
it neither here nor there
and it's absolutely solid.

september is the orange blush of a new season.
butterfly kiss.
is demure tease
and a tie tied just so.
palms, flat as seagull feet, smooth down skirt,
eyes meet horizon,
where our sun has shifted just a bit.

if the sun meets your gaze, turn around
and see your geography cast aglow with cooler yellows, fall tinges
and a month of summer memories knitted into what's to come!

O September

thank you for allowing me one month to both remember summer, and look forward to autumn.

happy SEPTEMBER!

Comments

[Victoria]

This is so beautiful -

autumn is on the way
when september arrives.

quietly
tiptoeing in
like faeries painting sleeping dust
gilting leaves, and crisping their edges
slow and low.

wind is bellowing, or picking up the speed to do so.
we are in tomatoes and strawberries and even figs for a spell
but it's tomfoolery by pixies united. -

that I am speechless.

[Athen]

Oh, man, I felt it last night coming home from the movies. I swear there was woodsmoke in the air, and frozen breath clouds hovering near my nose. I was just about cold in my summer jacket.

I'm having a hard time with it, much as I love fall. This year there hasn't been enough of the summertime swim holes and late-night strolling, even though I took time out to enjoy them.

Or is that me still switching gears, thinking it's time for San Francisco summer just when Portland is preparing to show me some leaves?

Nice writing, friend.

[Emily]

I stumbled upon your blog randomly.. and I have to say thank you. Thank you for your many wonderful words and your very lush beautiful pictures!!
Yay!
-Emily

[devon]

close your eyes
almost
because the light shifts in whispers

How lovely, Shuna...
and a Happy September to YOU!

=)