Auroras set the landscape ablaze
and October goes out with a bang
for the dead are not really dead
but live always, only in a state
of profound dormancy.
backstory: Not the usual weekly six-word memoir… but Northern Lights were forecast to be visible across the whole country, continent and beyond, last night. I didn’t get a glimpse because it was cloudy in my area. Nonetheless, hosta leaves (pictured above) that turn yellow in autumn always remind me that nothing is really ever dead. All living beings must rest. So, October’s end and changing of clocks to winter time help me access the gift of meaning. There’s beauty in that.
p.s. Also linking to Poets and Storytellers United.
A tease to eternity, surely. Happy Sunday Khaya
much❤love
Beautifully said, with restraint and depth. It’s a good realisation to have on a night which for much of the world is Samhain (or Halloween).
How well you put it, “all living beings must rest”.
I really love this poem! Changing the clocks, not so much. My sleep is fraught with peril as it is and the time change messes with me.
~Ornery Owl~
Autumn, when the summer world shuts down for a spell. It is ever reassuring to know it will return, and we can celebrate the return of green again!
I missed the light show as well.
Yes, the time of rest allows the growth to be larger and colors more vibrant come spring
this is beautiful khaya. like you, i was hoping to see the light. i heard about the strong solar flares and electromagnetic activity and hoping to see the lights all the way down here in denver, but cloud filled the sky last night. not sure if i could have seen it at this latitude anyway. this was pleasure to read khaya
That is a beautiful poem, Khaya, and it is always a pleasure to stop by here. Autumn is my favorite time of year, and I do not see it as an ending, but the start of a new cycle of life. Catkins on the hazelnut trees continue to grow, tiny female flowers will appear in February.
I would love to see an aurora! Someday…
There is incredible depth in your poem … huge sigh of contentment from my corner of the world.
I love your poem and the message of autumn as we head into our own dormancy and snuggled down. Just beautiful, Khaya. The northern lights were supposed to be here too last night. My husband and I sat outside on a cold dark hill for hours and stared at the northern horizon… nothing… except an amazing sky glittering with stars. It was spectacular. Happy star-gazing and have a wonderful November.
I love how you said it, and believe it all the way to my bones. Death is definitely not the end, just a rather drastic change… until it’s time for beginning again.
New York City was cloudy and rainy, so I missed it too. 🙁
Did I see correctly? Your name on the hosta artwork? Lovely tribute to ‘October’s End’.
Oh, the end of October AND Halloween! I can barely take it. I’m a little unnerved about the dormant dead since we just saw the play The Addams Family and there were walking dead ancestors in it.
I really like the picture of the hosta leaves. I hope you got to see the aurora lights!
Thanks Laura. And yes, you saw correctly. 😀 Photography is my other medium for creative expression. I’m also teaching myself to paint with watercolours, just for fun. But what you see is a photo I took and edited with digital tools, and gave it a watercolour effect. 🙂
Perhaps. 🙂 Hope you are having a great week, Gillena.
Thank you, Rosemary.
Yes, nature takes care of this!
I hear you about fraught sleep. But I’m not complaining about the extra hour of sleep. 🙂 Thank you for reading.
Absolutely, Bev. The thought of spring keeps me going during late autumn.
I agree, rest allows for growth.
Thanks Phillip, I really appreciate your comment.
There’s beauty in the realization that autumn is not the end but a start of a new cycle. Besides, some life continues to thrive in autumn like the hazelnut trees you mention. About Northern Lights, I hope you get to see them someday, Lavinia. Nothing compares to seeing them with your naked eye; photos do give an idea but not the actual feeling and experience. Many thanks for your kind comment, I appreciate you always for stopping when you can.
You made my day, Helen. Thank you.
Ha! The picture of you and your hubby sitting outside in the cold and dark waiting for the miraculous Northern Lights sounds familiar. 🙂 But it was not in vain after all, because you got to see the stars. We can’t deny that Nature can be generous at times. Thank you for reading Diana, and here’s to stargazing!
The older I get, the more I realize that death is not end. I’m happy to hear that you believe this to be true as well. About Northern Lights, it seems clouds in many parts of our world didn’t get the memo that Aurora and Boreas were due for an appearance. 🙂
Oh, there’s that too…Halloween! I wasn’t even thinking about it when I wrote this post. 🙂 It’s celebration I only see on TV or read about, it never made it to my worlds; South Africa and Finland. Though in the latter, All Saints Day is celebrated. But it’s rather a somber affair, nothing like Halloween celebrations in other parts of the world.
Thank you so much, Graham. I hope to see the Northern Lights some time during the winter as we are usually out a lot enjoying winter outdoor activities. 🙂
“Nothing is ever really dead.” Yes, so true.
🙂
I’m glad you agree, Kathy.
The year needs just a bit more October…
True that!