Tuesday, October 11, 2011

The Touch



With languorous sigh we laid beneath its shade

But now its awning spills upon my chair

As sunshine through its naked limb is splayed

Skeletal fingers claw the stringent air


Empty as the vain musings of a fool

The lush verdant umbrella of July

Unravels threads from nature’s giant spool

Releasing summer’s flower to the sky


Miniature acrobats, they dip and swirl

Cradled upon the lips of memory

And I am once again a little girl

Bathed in the withered teardrops of a tree


To weep for bygone joy is no disgrace

Beauty out-lines this tender note of grief

And as I press its sorrow to my face

I feel the touch of God upon a leaf

Janet Martin

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7 comments:

  1. MaryOctober 11, 2011 at 11:11 AM

    Beautifully expressed. The last two lines are especially touching!

    It brings to mind what happened to me yesterday. I was walking the dog, accompanied by my almost-four-year-old granddaughter. Out of the blue she said, "Where does God live, Grandma?" So we had quite a discussion....as we walked through through the crispy leaves.

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  2. Janet MartinOctober 11, 2011 at 12:17 PM

    Mary, your comment paints a beautiful autumn picture!

    There is something or Someone that seems to spark discussion when strolling through nature. I went hiking with my 10 yr. old and 13 yr. old yesterday and the same thing happened.

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  3. Anthony DuceOctober 11, 2011 at 1:27 PM

    I love how this captures a fall day outside, and the thought of the beauty being orchestrated, helps take the experience to a simple place.

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  4. Janet MartinOctober 11, 2011 at 2:40 PM

    Anthony, thank-you for this beautiful comment. I find in it the seed of a poem;)...'beauty orchestrated'. Can you hear the melody?:))

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  5. Lilac & LavenderOctober 11, 2011 at 5:45 PM

    I LOVE this one... wow, so many I love here Janet! I can see the hand of God himself unraveling the 'threads' of Autumn trees ~ releasing the beautiful tiny dancers... thank you for sharing!! Simply beautiful!

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  6. Brenda Leyland @ Its A Beautiful LifeOctober 11, 2011 at 9:55 PM

    Great word pictures...

    As a child I was taken with the trapeze artists in a circus, so I especially enjoyed your line about the miniature acrobats as they dip and swirl.

    Appreciated what Anthony said too!

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  7. Janet MartinOctober 11, 2011 at 11:32 PM

    Thank- you Megan, It seems suddenly the 'unraveling' has hit over-drive! Part of me is saying...wait, not so fast, but the beauty and vigor of the season reminds me Perfection is in control.

    Brenda, thank-you so much. It's funny what a stroll through the leaves inspires:)

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I hope you enjoyed your pause on this porch and thank-you for your visit!

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