late autumn . . .
squinting in the light
of fresh fallen snow

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©️2022 Ontheland
late autumn . . .
squinting in the light
of fresh fallen snow
.
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©️2022 Ontheland
dinner at six . . .
the orange glow
of November moon
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©2022 Ontheland
autumn light
under dark skies a shimmer
of mystery
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©2022 Ontheland
autumn sun . . .
the roadside boulder
with a Buddha smile
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©2022 Ontheland
harvest gold . . .
finches feasting
on flower tops
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©2022 Ontheland
growing up, autumn was a season of flaming maples…the area where I live now is populated by conifers so change shows up differently . . . in rusty grasses, late wildflowers, low angles of light. As winter draws close, colour and sound soften to a hush.
autumn sky
a wash of blue berries
on the juniper
©️2021 Ontheland
autumn forage
among dark rocks a sheen
of salamander
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©️2021 Ontheland
mid-autumn —
soup to warm my hands
a candle for my soul
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©️2021 Ontheland
twilight moon
a strand of geese
passes Venus
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©️2021 Ontheland
September 30 was the occasion of Canada’s first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, a day to honour “the lost children and survivors of [Indian] residential schools, their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process”. This new national event falls on the same day as Orange Shirt Day, observed since 2013 on September 30 by Indigenous communities to remember children who did not return from residential schools and as well the struggles and resilience of those who survived.
I wrote a few five-line poems to honour the day. One follows:
in autumn chill
hearts warming
by sacred fires
the orange flicker of dreams
the eternal pulse of a drum
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©️2021 Ontheland