Dewdrops stud the spiders’ threads
that span the fence posts and the gate.
Blowing in the autumn breeze, cobwebs
dangle between trees, a trap for falling
leaves. Berries stud the spiders’ threads
that hang from hedge and rowan tree,
and woodland creatures make their beds,
store nuts and fruit in preparation. Flocks
of birds fly in migration, and the reds
of leaves and berries bring us cheer
when dewdrops stud spiders’ threads.
Kim M. Russell, 19th September 2023

Image by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
This Tuesday at the dVerse Poets Pub, Melissa is our Poetics host and we are folding into autumn. Like Melissa, it’s my favourite season, and for the same reasons: it’s temperate, and the leaves are beginning to change and colour the landscape.
Melissa has shared autumnal poetry by Baudelaire, Garrard Beck, Emily Brontë and our own Gillena, whose poem has been given as an example of the fold poem, which has eleven lines, with the end phrase of line one at lines five and eleven; the rhyme of line one continues through in every other line and there must be a reference to nature and how it affects the poet.
Our challenge is to write a poem incorporating autumn, sprinkling in some autumn words from the list provided, or whatever other autumn words might fall into our heads, and we may use the fold form or any other form we wish.
Wow! This is marvelous! I love your rhymes and the flow of it–you’d have no idea it was any form at all, it just blends together so well.🕷️
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Thanks so much, Melissa. If I am writing to a form, I like to have a theme, and your prompt not only has a theme, it also has excellent instructions with an example.
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This is just wonderful, I just wish I could have such warm feelings for autumn… the imagery with the spiderwebs is wonderful
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Thank you so much, Björn. As I mentioned to Laura, I like to have a theme with a form.
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this is beautifully rhythmic Kim mirroring the rhythm of the seasons
“Blowing in the autumn breeze, cobwebs
dangle between trees, “
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Thank you so much Laura. I love it when we’re given a form and a theme.
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This is indeed a cheerful post despite the birds leaving at the end of summer.
|Flocks of birds fly in migration, and the reds
of leaves and berries bring us cheer.”
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Thank you, Grace. I love autumn, it makes me happy to see all the colours, the mist and berries. A warm up before winter, which I fear.
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Woww! This is absolutely exquisite, Kim 😍 I love how flawlessly the poem flows especially; “Flocks of birds fly in migration, and the reds of leaves and berries bring us cheer when dewdrops stud spiders’ threads.” ❤️❤️
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Thank you so much, Sanaa! You know how much I love autumn,so this prompt was perfect for me. xoxo
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You’re most welcome! Yes, I am well aware 🥰 I love autumn too! xoxoxo
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Oh…so…beautiful, Kim. 👏
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Thank you, Susan!
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A great ekphrastic poem Kim. Your form is very well done. The images almost make us wet with morning dew!
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Thank you, Dwight. The poem came first and I found the image later,
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Interesting. The photo is a perfect match for your poem.
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An ephemeral season, captured in your images. (K)
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Thank you, Kerfe!
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There is so much colour and movement in your folding autumn. Nicely Done.
Much🖤love
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Thank you, Gillena, and much love to you!
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You’re right, the softening is what is lovely about autumn, the light, the colours and the heat. The repetition of those threads holds the poem together, almost physically.
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Thank you, Jane!
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This is so beautiful and beautifully crafted, Kim. I especially love the opening line–you could have been with me walking this morning! ❤️
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Thank you, Merril, I would love to walk with you!
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You’re welcome! 😊
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This flows really well and is so very neat. This is my favourite bit:
Blowing in the autumn breeze, cobwebs
dangle between trees, a trap for falling
leaves.
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Thank you very much, Alison!
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Utterly lovely, Kim: dewdrops, berries “stud the spiders’ webs” naturally fold us into the multispeckled/visual pleasures of autumn and its inhabitants.
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Thank you kindly, Dora.
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Wow Kim – such a tight form with repetitive rhyme and phrases but you have added internal rhymes too which I think is what makes the imposed form less obvious – smooth!
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Wow, thank you, Andrew! What a lovely comment!
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A beautiful combo of rhyme and observation, Kim!!!!
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Thanks so much, Helen!
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Lovely imagery. Thank you for sharing. ❤️
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Thank you for reading and commenting!
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