Signs of a Changing Season

There are signs all around me, subtle at first, but becoming more noticeable every day. The plums that last week were sweet and edible, are now covered in wasps and mould. Apples litter the grass, and a squirrel hops between them, nibbling on a piece between its claws. When I open the door to bring in some washing, the rusty grey acrobat leaps onto a tree trunk and scrabbles among the branches. There has been no dawn chorus since July, the nights are drawing in earlier, there is a chill in the morning air, and spiders are appearing indoors for their mating season. I can’t wait for the leaves to change colour and morning mist to creep up the garden. I love autumn!

drone of the last wasps
drunk on sadness of sugar
no plums left for me

Kim M. Russell, 24th August 2024

This week’s Monday Haibun prompt has been prepared by Frank, with Melissa hosting at the dVerse Poets Pub on his behalf. We are writing about seasonal shifts.

Frank talks about signs of autumn, such as dropping temperatures, migrating geese, fewer songbirds, and first falling leaves. In America, Labor Day is not far away, and students and teachers will soon go back to school. He also reminds us that south of the Equator, the shift is from winter to spring.

As ever, we have examples of writing, this time by Adelaide B. Shaw’s haibun ‘A Seasonal Change’ and ‘Autumn Movement’ by Carl Sandburg, to inspire us to savour the seasonal shift most relevant to us and write a haibun that alludes to seasonal shift.

43 thoughts on “Signs of a Changing Season”

  2. Beautiful, precise description of nature, that you do so well…sad is a grey squirrel, who are a bit of a pest of course, unlike the red, but that is today’s world.

    The prose finished wonderfully, but that haiku………….and the 2nd line….!

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  6. You have captured the magic of autumn but, I want to hold on to summer a bit longer. The leaves are starting to take on a hint of their fall colors. The squirrels here keep taking my tomatoes.

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  7. “When I open the door to bring in some washing, the rusty grey acrobat leaps onto a tree trunk and scrabbles among the branches.”

    I love the imagery here, so beautifully penned ✨

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  9. We had to end our daily walk early because my husband didn’t dress for the chill in the air, and he was cold. After living in the land of no seasons all his life, he still thinks he can dress in shorts all year.

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  15. the wasps are drunk, huh… love that imagery, but it’s sadness they’re drunk on. Aww. It’s the cycle of life. I’m giddy on the prospect of autumn. How wonderful to have that to look forward to. You prose haibun is just delightful to read. Thanks, Kim. xo

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