Tipping into Autumn

There comes a day, between
spring’s last blackbird concert
and the first swift to fly south,
when nature takes a breath,
before tipping into autumn.
Brambles are already dotted
with ripening fruit, and yellow
leaves glow among the green.
Beneath the oak, a squirrel has been seen,
gathering acorns, hips and haws,
with eager paws.

Kim M. Russell, 2017

Autumn - Erte

Autumn by Erté – Fair Use

My response to Imaginary Garden with Real Toads Flash 55 PLUS!

This weekend Kerry brings us the Flash 55 Challenge, the rules of which have not changed: we write a piece of poetry or prose on a subject of our choice in precisely 55 WORDS.

For the optional extra part of this challenge, Kerry invites us to consider the art of Romain de Tirtoff a.k.a. Erté, and has provided a link to view examples of his works on WikiArt.

49 thoughts on “Tipping into Autumn”

    1. Thank you so much, Sanaa! I got up to a chilly start this morning but I’ve been cleaning the rest of the house in preparation for my daughter’s visit, so I’ve warmed up now – and the sun has come out!

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  8. nature takes a breath…

    You show this so perfectly, and your description reminds me of all the children’s books i read, set in the English countryside – it is almost like a fantasy world for me – so gratifying to know it exists.

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    1. It still exists but I do worry about it. Towns and cities are steadily encroaching on some of the most beautiful areas. Luckily, Norfolk isn’t a place you have to go through to get to somewhere else and it’s retained its natural landscapes and character.

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  15. One of my favorites from you, Kim! 😀 I especially admire; “Brambles are already dotted with ripening fruit, and yellow leaves glow among the green.”💖💖

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  20. Wonderful poem Kim! It brought to life this time of year — the pre-autumn pause and the resulting bounty. LOVE your Erté! I collected a couple litho reproductions of his work. I also had and sold a couple Franklin Mint faux-chryselephantine reproductions — of his “Symphony in Black”, and his “Ocelot”. I was pleased that it worked out for me to join OLN-Live today. Missed you guys. 🙂✌🏼🫶🏼

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  23. Beautiful, Kim. I love how you captured this moment
    “between
    spring’s last blackbird concert
    and the first swift to fly south,
    when nature takes a breath,”

    I feel like we had that the other day. Back to thunderstorms today! Good luck with your launch tomorrow!

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  24. I so love this, Kim. Spring’s last blackbird concert….this made me smile. We will be taking a cruise that originates and ends in Boston (no flying to our embarkment spot!) and goes up into Maine and Canada – all to see the fall foliage. We leave in early October. I’m so excited to see where nature has already “tipped” and to see all the colors. I suspect there will be some poetry coming out of that trip 😉

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