Laughing uproariously,
it is a trickster.
It wraps itself around us and tarries,
not to do us harm but to bless us.
To take to the woods,
to scent the crispness
of autumn is a delight.
Its brevity only makes it
a more rare and special gift.
It hangs on the will of the
wind and rain to take down
its reds and golds.
Nights are slept in soundly.
There is magic to the waters.
The sun-drenched trees
mirror every shore.
Color abounds in the hills,
populates the ancient trails,
rises up to the ridge lines,
drenches our capacity
for appreciating beauty.
We wait for the first frost.
It chases many away.
We wonder when
winter will descend.
It is stolen property we trespass on.
We have it all for our keeping,
for one day or for a length of time,
until beaver move deftly into their houses,
until bluebills fly South with certainty.
Only until the land
turns over into
winter white.
"Fall Weather" is taken from Nature's Poetry of Life: Who's Watching Who? by J. Bragstad.
It is available at Amazon. For those who love the North Shore, the BWCA and the memories wilderness experiences inspire in all of us.