Autumn Surprise

Sunday afternoon was so beautiful ... as hot as a skillet, but beautiful ... with a beautiful blue sky and towering puffy clouds in the distance as we headed out in the Little Red Car.

Our destination? Troy ... Ohio, that is ... and the Hayner Cultural Center ... where an art exhibit, "Think Big - work small," was opening. (I was pleasantly surprised to find three of my little paintings had been accepted for the show)

What a wonderful exhibit it is ... with works ranging from those of elementary school students all the way to persons of my age ... (I was pleasantly surprised to find three of my little paintings had been accepted for the show).

The works were creatively arrayed (somebody had worked hard on that) on the walls and in display cases in this wonderful historic building.

We strolled the exhibit several times, discovering something new with each pass, storing up memories which we'll savor for a long, long time.

Speaking of memories, it's time and distance which make memories so sweet ... they've been stored away for such a long time ... seasoning, taking on new flavors with each visit back to them.

Today's poem deals with some of my earliest memories ... living with my grandparents ... beginning to discover the wonders of the world around me ... seeing things for the first time.

I still try to look at things that way ... as though I'm seeing them for the first time. I discover so many things that way ... and, if I can get my observations on paper soon enough, they may go on to become a poem:

AUTUMN SURPRISE

My mind's long lens

goes zooming back

to pre-school years

when I first discovered

those magic leaves,

a sea of crinkly color

lying like carpet

on my grandparents'

dusty front yard,

swirling, scattering

like scared kittens

when I went charging

through fiery reds,

golden yellows,

browns, all the way

to Grandma's hug,

her chuckle joining

my own laughter

at being a part of

that autumn surprise.

All these years later,

I still see those

magic leaves as though

for the first time,

hear that chuckle

so close to my ear.

©

1998

(originally published in Candlelight Poetry Journal)

***

Today's word:

discovery

Afterthoughts ... in response to your comments:

Now you've got me racking my brain, Southernmush ... and I don't think I have ever detected the aroma of cinnamon coming from leaves. It's an intriguing thought, though, since cinnamon has long been one of my favorite flavors. I have noticed, though, that leaves do emit a nut-like aroma sometimes ... and there are variations on this which I can't really identify. Cinnamon? That's an intriguing thought. I'll have to remain more alert the next time I go kicking through an accumulation.