DAY 14 – AUTUMNAL P.A.D. CHAPBOOK EXERCISE: FALL CLOTHES

We’ve reached the end of our exercise. We’ve explored sights and smells and flavors of fall. The colors will soon fade. And we’ll be presented with definitive chill in the air. As we bask in the glow of completing this challenge, let us not forget this one last item to stoke our poetic fires. We will dress for the occasion and the upcoming glimpses of the winter ahead. Today we’ll close on the notion of clothes; Fall attire that will serve us well. Take your jacket and pack it back up until spring. We all know a sweater is better in such cases. Our faces will feel the cold and our hands will stiffen in its insistence. Choose an item of fall clothing and wrap yourself in it. We’ll huddle close to share its warmth and that of the wonderful chapbooks you will deliver.

And we should all be well prepared for the rigors of whatever writing challenge we’ll undertake in November, be it the Poetic Asides P.A.D. Chapbook Challenge that Robert Lee Brewer will offer, the annual NaNoWriMo which is very popular or any other challenge you may encounter. Write well, choose your best words and we’ll read them with enthusiasm and admiration.

 

MARIE’S FALL ENSEMBLE

What I wear in fall:
jeans, boots, sweaters, and mittens
and grins, ear-to-ear.

© Marie Elena Good, 2018

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WALT’S WARDROBE:

FAIR TO PARTLY BLIZZARD CONDITIONS

Mere days away,
a coronation is planned
for autumn’s shortened reign.

The temperatures decline
finding their descent hell-bent
on a rapid departure to parts unknown.

The trees have grown fragile;
the color barrage itching to begin
and within her palette the earth is apparent

an inherent nod to the warmth
sought, but not always embraced,
and faced with the scent of must and moth-balls.

And in the sky, standing tall
the harbinger of winter woes (so it goes
around Buffalo) dark and moody, looming

upon the horizon, rising skyward.
Storms  brewing, or memories
of days of storm-filled pasts recalled,

all seeded in the clouds for near future
reference. Your preference
is a temperate fall ending in spring.

But, here’s the thing:
the winds find their thrill in the chill
they provide. An equinox out of the box

stirring dreads of a White Christmas
long before the sleep of the solstice beckons.
Cumulonimbus is your reminder.

Better hasten to find your coat, scarf and gloves
before the snows reign from above.
Ominous and threatening; keep your guard up.

© Walter J Wojtanik, 2018

 

DAY 13 – AUTUMNAL P.A.D. CHAPBOOK EXERCISE: CANDLES

It is said, “It is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.” And that one candle can light the world, just as a poem about a candle can light our world and inspire others. Write about a candle and light up your muse!

 

MARIE’S BEACON:

One flickering flame
in the window glows, bestows
the best kind of warmth.

© Marie Elena Good, 2018

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WALT’S WARM GLOW:

OUT OF THE DARKNESS

Somewhere in darkness, hearts at rest find each other all alone at night.
Hearts that yearn for love become the vessels we sail to land on love’s shore.
Discoveries made invade like a conqueror, surrender your self.
Fear does not prevail for it has been hidden, lost and quite forbidden.
New sensations come filling your soul with wonder, under true love’s spell.
Tell her she brings light to supplant all this darkness; her candle burns bright.
It is that dark night that brings her brilliance to bear. She is your warm sun.
You embrace her there, filling her with heartfelt joy. You are her bright moon!
The brightness will fade. Life’s serenade soon will end. Sing life’s love song now!

© Walter J. Wojtanik, 2018

DAY 11 – AUTUMNAL P.A.D. CHAPBOOK EXERCISE: CRIMSON

Here we are, a little further into the season. The remaining leaves have changed and the colors have achieved a more rich and deeper hue. So we go into the palette again and tap the crimson shade to give a bit more variety to our poetry. As always, go where your muse takes you and let us see your vision.

MARIE’S RED RETREAT:

A Creator’s Palette (Sonnet to The Artist)

Describing “yellow” leaves in fall, for me,
Does not at all depict their cheerful gleam
As sunlight spills as liquid through the trees,
And they themselves could light the day, it seems.

So also “orange” can’t describe the bliss
That autumn’s gorgeous vista just compels.
And though I can’t rename it, I know this:
Fall’s celebrated color casts its spells.

My favored autumn shades though are the reds:
From rosy blush to crimson, fire-and-iced.
They fairly flaunt and flame as they turn heads.
There’s no way common “red” would have sufficed.

How can we label paints and pens of God
That leave us reverential, praise-filled, awed ?

© Marie Elena Good, 2018

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WALT’S RUDDY MESS:

SEASONS MORPHED

The air is chilled.
Clouds in a hue of blue
that feels frigid, making
exposed digits ache and stiffen.
Autumn enters through
Summer’s rapidly closing door
and it’s true that fall may be hours old,
but the cold will have you believing
that looks are deceiving.
Summer is departing;
sheared down by the scythe of life.
Can a disheartening Winter be far behind?
I find that this respite is a diversion,
an excursion through these years of seasons.
No reason I can tell can suffice to quell
the brilliantly crimson leaves and the crystal ice .

© Walter J. Wojtanik – 2018

DAY 9 – AUTUMNAL P.A.D. CHAPBOOK EXERCISE: SOUP

Yesterday we wrote of comfort food. Nothing is better than a hot bowl of soup on a cold day. So today we will serve up a word soup. Using these autumn based words, write your poem. Choose an autumnal color and use those words colored in your choice to be included in your poem. Yes, multiple poems are welcome.

 

The two words in the bright yellow are: leaf and changing

MARIE’S BROTH OF LIFE:

AUTUMN’S BIKE TRAILS

When fall visits,
we crisscross the trail –
never tiring
of the crunch of crisp leaves
beneath us,
savoring childlike fun.

The brisk, fresh air
invigorates –
motivates us to
ride further,
sometimes pausing
to capture photos
of fall foliage, fields
dotted with orange pumpkin;
orchards with red apples.

Bushed and beaming,
we head home,
cautiously peering
around multi-colored leaf
piles raked to the curb –
some taller
than the cars avoiding them.

Home,
warm and cozy,
fire in the fireplace,
popcorn popping,
already reminiscing,

hoping tomorrow
is more of the same.

© Marie Elena Good, 2018

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WALT’S AUTUMNAL STOCK:

FROST ENCRUSTED

Soon the frost will come,
crusting both gourd and pumpkin.
It is autumn at play; a fall romp.
Barely alive, it strives to hold
one last hurrah, a huzzah
to it’s impending demise.

And it’s merely mid-afternoon.
It is no surprise that the hearth
will  glow with the fire of lost dreams.
A remaining ember warm and crackling,
prepares to fade and extinguish,
one final wish before it ends.
Soon to don our boots and hear
the crunchy call of the new fallen snow.

© Walter J Wojtanik, 2018

DAY 8 – AUTUMNAL P.A.D. CHAPBOOK EXERCISE: COMFORT FOOD

One thing that always becomes important the deeper we get into fall is the warmth provided by a well-cooked meal. And nothing is as savory as your favorite comfort food. What might that be? Tell us about it in poetic form. Warm us inside and out with your poetic piece.

MARIE’S WARMTH

MY COMFORT FOODS

My comfort foods are piping hot.
They never fail to hit the spot.
I’ll savor solace that they’ve brought,
And when I’m done, my coffee pot.

For where is comfort in cold foods,
That cannot warm cold attitudes
And never will they change foul moods.
There’s nothing cozy in cold foods.

But I could swear that buttered rolls
Can hinder malice in cold souls,
As can hot pies and big warm bowls
Of soups and stews and casseroles.

© Marie Elena Good, 2018

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WALT’S SAVORY SECURITY:

LONGING FOR HOME

The patter of rain,
a steady downpour, it is more
monsoon than shower.
I’ve spent hours huddled
warm under a soft throw.
Temperatures have fallen
the condensation thick
on windows, the aromatic steam lifts
from this savory soup kettle to my nostrils,
it’s warmth fills me with reminders
of mom’s kitchen. I’m itching
to recapture the comfort of home.
Eyes beckon to doze through
the next few hours as the showers
do not relent. I am spent
and it’s merely mid-afternoon.
Energized from the soup on my spoon,
I hope the rain stops soon!

© Walter J Wojtanik, 2018

DAY 7 – AUTUMNAL P.A.D. CHAPBOOK EXERCISE: WINDY

The wind whips up more often as the temperature inversion takes hold. Today we will deal with the wind. There is much that is affected by the wind. Write on one of them.

MARIE’S BREATH OF FRESH AIR:

Autumn’s Abscission

Leaves heave themselves, as they,
Gutsy as this gusty day,
Beg the children come and play
Before autumn slips away.

© Marie Elena Good, 2018

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WALT’S BAG-O-WIND:

THE APPROACHING WIND

The wind of change blows; it comes and goes,
and the life in its wake is subject to an upheaval.
The retrieval of all usurped is best left for when the winds die;
unsuccessful tries will be your score until winds are no more.
Ride out the storm, keep warm, with visions of better days ahead,
there’s nothing with which to concern yourself.

Your one charge is you. Your solitary existence. Yourself.
From the day you were born, you were always on the go.
Not sure where you were headed, but it was full steam ahead,
causing your ruckus; an unspoken upheaval
that gave you a hunger to achieve even more.
The retrieval of all usurped is best left for when the winds die.

On the day you that you die,
will people speak as highly of you, as you refused to do of yourself?
Or, will they shake their heads and lament your potential to do more?
Take your acclaim as you go,
and continue your expressive vent despite the expected upheaval.
Ride out the storm, keep yourself warm, with visions of better times ahead.

Express  with your last breath; show you are more than a heart and a head.
Carry through with worded wisdom, stand and fight, or quietly die.
No one will blame you for the casualties of your upheaval,
in the end, your passion will make them better poets, in spite of yourself.
Leave them to embrace you, or to scratch their heads as they go.
Unsuccessful tries will be your score until the winds are no more.

And if you just happen to leave them wanting more,
then get out of bed, because once again, it is full steam ahead.
The direction in which the wind blows determines how we will go,
for life is to be savored, despite its labor, until we die.
Don’t live in delusion, you need them as much as you deny yourself.
Everything in its wake is subject to an upheaval.

So, take up your armor daily, determined to up heave all
that tries to force your hand. Take a stand. Give them more!
You’ll find the confidence that has eluded. Treat yourself
to the accolades of which you are most deserving, and ahead
of all else, ride out life’s windstorm until the day you die.
The wind of change blows; it will surely come and go.

And as the prevailing winds go, the only obstacle to their upheaval
dies in the face of a strong will and words of a more direct nature.
It could leave you short of breath. Nothing with which to concern yourself.

© Walter J Wojtanik, 2018

 

 

DAY 6 – AUTUMNAL P.A.D. CHAPBOOK EXERCISE: ORANGE

As the foliage changes and we’re awash with the vibrancy of autumn, we’ll take one of the prominent colors, orange, as our inspiration. Write something orange. Remember, nothing rhymes with orange. Except for door hinge. Close but no cigar.

MARIE’S ROSE

Lindsay Rose

It was early fall.  She was young and animated.  The baby girl who had cheated death had become a young woman full of soul, and bright as her favorite color.  Her palette was in hand. Her imagination as open and vibrant as changes soon to grace the trees.  Camaraderie, harmony, and laughter were yearnings, with promise of fulfillment.  Until, on her way to a weekend of music with friends, her song was silenced.

she laughs with Jesus
as they paint the sunset with
orange Crayolas

© Marie Elena Good, 2018

(I wrote the 17-syllable ending in September of 2011, on the anniversary of Lindsay’s car accident, and her passing from this life to the next.)

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WALT’S ORANGE HUE:

  L’AUTUNNO (The Autumn)

Shadows reach across the meadow,
the fallow fields languish in wishes
of an anticipated rest, her best face
presented and rendered in orange,
reds and yellows and umber.
the best the harvest will offer,
It could leave one short of breath
as soon it is to pass into the embrace of slumber.

DAY 5 – AUTUMNAL P.A.D. CHAPBOOK EXERCISE: CORNUCOPIA

We’ve all seen the symbol of harvest time in the cornucopia (Horn of Plenty). It is a gathering of things related in some way that marks the success of an endeavor. Write it literally or go out on a limb and express your abundance! Maybe take each item and equate it to an aspect of life. You’ve got plenty with which to work.

MARIE’S PLENTY:

Horn spills with blessings –
Some not so easily grasped,
but ours nonetheless.

© Marie Elena Good, 2018

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WALT’S BOUNTY:

FEASTING IN PLENITUDE

We’re given all we can handle,
but supply and demand could
leave you short as the days dwindle.
But here, we will be sated on the largess of life,
rife with the best the harvest will offer;
a coffer of wealth and abundance.
Fruits and vegetables aplenty
and whatever else nature holds. 
Come to the table prepared from the horn,
a flowing feast fit for Zeus himself!

© Walter J Wojtanik, 2018

DAY 4 – AUTUMNAL P.A.D. CHAPBOOK EXERCISE: LEAVES

Again with the leaves? But we aren’t talking colors, only the leaf itself. Simply write a leaf poem. Everything is fair game. Maybe your life as a leaf? A leaf’s job. A leaf causing problems. The playful properties of a leaf? Don’t leave any stone unturned.

MARIE’S GENTLE DESCENT:

When summer takes leave,
fall embellishes the views,
and cues winter’s eve.

© Marie Elena Good

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WALT’S BARE BRANCHES:

LEAVES

Some certainly envision
the splay of hues of leaves
and whatever else nature
holds for our viewing.
But, Autumn is brewing.
Making her entrance,
with a warm nuzzle;
a comfortable caress.
Leaves whisper hushed words
expressing what a heart
can feel. It is consuming,
yet not destructive,
soon in rapid decay,
leaves have seen
their last day; a last gasp.
All presented in the sad
rustle of leaves.

© Walter J Wojtanik, 2018

DAY 3 – AUTUMNAL P.A.D. CHAPBOOK EXERCISE: FIRE

This prompt sort of plays in with our first two prompts. A fire can combat the cold and could supply the smells of which we wrote. But what about fire? Write a beneficial or detrimental aspect of fire. It might be a forest fire, a bonfire, a fire in the hearth, even a fire in the hole if it fits within the parameters of our challenge. It’s good to ignite our collective muse and choose to let our words blaze.

MARIE’S BURNING DESIRE:

Autumn Awakens (sonnet for my favorite season)

Its very shadows fall uniquely fall
And that begins the season, in my eyes.
Trees flame with reds, or yellow fireballs
As autumn’s colors blaze against blue skies.

It sets my heart alight, and makes me smile.
Its cool air feels delightful to breathe in.
Its mood ignites a passion in my soul.
It is my chosen season – long has been.

Trees captivate me as their colors spill,
Like kindling for reflections long-since gone –
The merriment my child-heart treasures, still.
So much to love … excuse my rambling on …

But passion for Ohio’s autumn days
Will burn in me forever and always.

© Marie Elena Good, 2018

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WALT’S SMOLDERING EMBER:

FIRE

The ember glows, left to smolder,
the smell of burning leaves fills him,
fending the colder temperatures off
and setting off a blaze of uncontrollable
ferocity. The seeds of love become a blaze
just as volatile. From the first smiled hello
until you are both consumed by its pyre,
love is a fire. It is consuming yet not
destructive, it is instructive and nurturing.
Love will penetrate you and warm your
insides until you are ablaze with her.
You can be sure if you play with fire,
you’re going to get burned.
And fires eventually lose their glow,
from blaze to simmer to smolder and die.
And so someday will you and I.
But, we’ll keep our fire burning until then.

© Walter J Wojtanik, 2018