A sort-of sonnet to fall.
Alaskan Autumn
The hoses are drained and coiled away
Deck chairs stored, the red one faded to pink
Window screens off but the one I forgot
Garden tools washed and oiled in the sink
This year’s catch steaked, filleted and vacuum packed
Last year’s salmon in brine for pickling
Rhubarb, strawberries in the freezer stacked
Grandma’s framboise in bottles mellowing
Of all the year I love fall the best, though
January is my favorite month
Gaining daylight until by solstice night
Eighteen, almost nineteen hours of light
But for now, the slow march into the dark
Book in my lap, a fire throwing sparks.
–Dana Stabenow, September 2019
(with apologies to every real poet I know)
And yet, it captures that end of summer beautifully! Living in Florida for the past 40 years, autumn has always been my favorite season… bonfires of burning leaves, the dusty smell of harvested corn, the crisp tang of a frosty morning on my tongue. I miss it. But then I wasn’t headed toward 18+ hours of darkness.
What a lovely read. One of my greatest joys is watching trees fade in to their Fall glory. Sadly, we still have no signs. It is 90 here in Kentucky, at a time of year when signs of Fall were abundant. Our produce is all tucked away, too. Applesauce making is my tomorrow and Saturday fun. At least it will smell like cooler weather inside!
That is beautiful and gives us a little insight to Alaskan life.
love it. I have a wonderful recipe for rhubarb filled coffeecake if you would like it. Since we moved to Mississippi, I can no longer find any rhubarb. The cc was a family favorite recipe. I’ve been enjoying the progress reports on Storyknife.
I would love the recipe, Margery, thank you! I know people who moved from Alaska to Arkansas and they can’t find rhubarb, or grow it, either. Unimaginable.