Inside the library,
readers are turning leaves,
devouring stories
and stuffing words up sleeves
to ponder at their leisure,
while some are just hiding
from the autumn weather.
Outside the library
and just inside the door,
brittle leaves skitter
in huffs of dust across the floor,
cart-wheeling freely,
while some are just hiding
from the autumn weather.
Books tucked under arm,
I scuffle through dead leaves,
hand in my jacket
where I fumble to retrieve
my car keys
which are hiding
in the bottom of my pocket.
Back inside the house,
I breathe in silence with relief,
remove jacket and boots,
in which I find a stray leaf,
tucked into the leather,
mottled brown and rusty red,
hiding from the autumn weather.
Kim M. Russell, 2017
My response to dVerse Poets Pub Poetics: The Smell of Chrysanthemums
I’m hosting this Tuesday’s Poetics and have been thinking about autumn: the clocks will soon be going forward in some countries across the world and the nights will be drawing in earlier. I’ve also been thinking about things we associate with this time of year and asked poets to choose one autumnal item, take a closer look at it in all its glory under a poetic microscope and write a poem about it.
Enjoyable and seasonal writing!
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Many thanks!
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Beautiful! I really like the imagery of the books, library, people stuffing words up their sleeves, and on… beautifully done!
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Thank you so much!
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Thank you, Kim, Autumn is my favorite season. It is a time to “wrap things up,” get the wood in, time to go inside, a time to remember.
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Lovely, Kim. I’m a big fan of refrains, and you do it well.
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Thank you, Jane. This actually happened last Thursday!
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I imagine you’ll be finding a lot of leaves hiding from the weather before spring comes round again.
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Beautiful and meditative Kim, I love the opening lines ‘Inside the library,readers are turning leaves’ and how the leaves continue to turn and appear in your poem right until the end. This is one of my favourite times for reading in front of the fire :o) xxx
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Thank you, Xenia 😊
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Excellent! 😎😎😎🥀🥀🥀
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Oh I do love the item and how you connect them…. the leaves and the book, and hiding from the weather. A perfect time for turning leaves.
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But no aged librarian!
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None at the moment… he is pondering a comeback
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I look forward to it. 😉
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Oh that’s a neat piece of writing and very clever closure. Excellent stuff 🙂
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Thank you so much! 🙂
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Excellent word play and really enjoy how the leaves follow you home 🙂
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Thank you, Jilly. That one really did!
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Often times I find a beutiful, lonely leaf and take it home with me, giving it a place of honor on my table. They have faces 🙂
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Oh, lovely poem, Kim. The atmosphere translates beautifully, though we have no changed, brittle leaves yet, and just this week did it seem to be fall. I love autumn and you allowed me to enjoy it through your poem. The line: and stuffing words up sleeves….. is wonderful!!
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Thank you, Jane! This year autumn does seem to be dragging its heels. Lets hope winter does the same.
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I love Autumn and Winter. Winter best because it is like a fresh palette to write and paint on!
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Love the linking of library pages to natures own wee scrolls. Lovely narrative.
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Thanks Paul!
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I haven’t been to the library for ages but love the idea of reading books during autumn Kim ~ Love the refrain of hiding from the autumn weather ~
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In the week it’s mostly the elderly and unemployed (and, of course, my babies, toddlers and their parents and carers for Bounce and Rhyme). Everyone is so friendly and it’s great to see people choosing books and reading.
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I like the repeated hiding from the autumn weather which I am sure I will do shortly although the past weeks have been cool and refreshing, like an nice evening before the night of winter.
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The more people who hide out in the library the better – it will save us from closure.
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I especially love people stuffing stories up their sleeves. Smiles.
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They remind me of squirrels storing up for winter!
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Great write!
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Thank you, Sabrina!
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Loved this! I liked how the leaf was hiding from the autumn weather at the end.
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😊🍂
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I love the way you used the word ‘leaves’ here; page leaves
The idea of all hiding from the autumn weather is so sweet.
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Thank you, Viv!
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You’re welcome!
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totally loved reading this – you have drawn a beautiful picture depicting the parallels between the library and outdoors
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Thank you very much for reading and for your kind comments.
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I love autumn leaves though I no longer get to see them I just read them.
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Thanks for reading and commenting, Mark.
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mottled brown and rusty red,
hiding from the autumn weather.
All and everything seemed to be somewhere in hiding and it’s just only the beginning!
Hank
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Today I saw more leaves than any other day so far – they are starting to take over!
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