Goodbye water lilies, maples leaves, loosestrife and reed,
Goodbye lotus lilies, cattails, cress and pickerelweed.
Every winter, I’m thankful for hidden roots, bulbs and seed,
waiting, like me, for spring rain, the only mead we need.
Copyright 2017 Brenda Davis Harsham
Notes: Happy Thanksgiving to those in the US! I’m thankful to be eating turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy and green bean casserole. Then a break for Dance, Dance Revolution with my daughter, and the next course: pie and ice cream. If I can still walk afterwards, I plan to watch The Secret of Moonacre, Lupin III or Murder on the Orient Express.
I’m in the home stretch for NaNoWriMo. I’m still thinking of summer, raking fallen leaves, and drinking tea by my radiator. I got out the lemon polish, and my grandmother’s dresser is shining. A little elbow grease is what she’d have called it. I wonder if she would approve of this world of cell phones and billionaires.
Happy Poetry Friday tomorrow! The roundup will be at Carol’s Corner this week.
Have a magical weekend!
36 thoughts on “Goodbye, Green”
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Friendly Fairy Tales 
Thanks for stopping and commenting on my post, Brenda. Your reference to mead reminds me of teaching Beowulf…when students also rhymed “mead” with “need” once they understood fermentation!
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Fermented things are good for you. 😉 I first tasted mead at a Ren Faire years ago, and I was surprised to like it, since I’m not a big drinker.
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I too miss the green. We are at the tail end of gold here, and then grey, with a some murky green as in moss, mildew and winter grass. But those are never as pretty and hopeful a green as the spring ones. And kudos to you for joining NaNo!
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Thanks, Violet. I am enjoying NaNo. I am always happy when the bugs go away, and the pollen stops, but I miss the green.
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Glad you have family and good times for Thanksgiving! I am blessed and won’t complain since I am not lonely. For my November birthday, my friend Jenny took me to see “Murder on the Orient Express.” Everyone played their characters well but liked seeing Michelle Pfeiffer and felt Johnny Depp did a unique acting job in his character, kind of gangster like.
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We saw it, too, and then we watched the David Suchet and Albert Finney versions. All wonderful in their own way. I think I like the Suchet ending best.
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Another lovely farewell to fall. It has been mostly glorious weather here, so I’m sad to see it go.
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I like to remember summer is always sleeping, waiting for us. It helps during the short, gray days that are coming. Although, they have their own charm.
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Lovely – especially that last line. Good luck with that final run on NANO.
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Thanks, Sally. Have fun in your swimming and walks on the beach. I will think of you Aussies enjoying your summer.
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Oh, I adore this poem. Green is my favorite color….and I just love seeing it come back in the spring. pickerel weed….now that is a challenge to work into a poem and you have! Well done.
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I’ve been trying to learn the names of pond plants. Names have such magic. I was pretty happy to be able to use pickerel weed, even though I had to downplay watercress to simple “cress”. It was a good trade off.
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I love ‘all the mead we need’, and hope you were able to walk to get to one of those movies! Happy Day After, Brenda!
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I ended up watching Hitchcock. North by Northwest and Rear Window. He was a master of suspense. It’s an education to a writer to watch the way he introduces characters, makes you care and then lets the monsters loose, as Stephen King says. Hope you’re having a good weekend, too, Linda.
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Yep–it’s time to wait for spring. But hope you enjoy a little winter in the interim!
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I’m enjoying autumn. Haven’t felt the touch of winter yet. Hard to believe it’s nearly December.
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Goodbye to the obvious and thankful for the hidden and subtle. Perfect!
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Thanks, Mary Lee.
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I love how this is not just a poem about saying goodbye, Brenda, it is a poem about thankfulness. I, too, am thankful for what is hidden… and for not rushing the ways of nature. 🙂
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Thanks, Michelle. I’m also grateful for winter, as an opportunity to move our focus inward, nurturing our inner seeds. Funny how writing a poem can help us understand ourselves.
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I’m always sad about the loss of color and foliage at this time of year. I needed this reminder that it will be back soon!
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It will have its hibernation, and it will come back, new and green. I can hardly wait. 🙂
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yes, ‘the only mead we need’. perfect. hope you had a great holiday –
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Yes, and you. Made some clay figurines and then a neighbor cooked. I’ll make my usual spread on Saturday. Yum! Huge dinner, twice!
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Yes, green is always there waiting… and GO YOU with NaNoWriMo! Keep going. xo
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Thanks, Irene! Will do! I even wrote yesterday, in amidst the festivities. 🙂
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It’s Hello, Green, here. Not usual at this time of the year – but we’ve had so many periods of good rain this season, that it’s not even summer yet, and everything is green with growth!
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Sounds wonderful. I’d love to spend winter there, basking in summer. 🙂
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Good luck on completing your writing goals!
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Thanks! I still hope to finish the book, too, but the word count will be done. 🙂
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I am sure you will finish the book. Happy Friday and I am rooting for you to finish that book😃💕💕
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TY!!
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Happy, happy. 🙂 Lovely.
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Yes, happy. I hope yours was happy, too. XOXO
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Terrific! 😎😎😎😎😎
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Thanks again!
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