My contribution to this week’s writing prompt–Autumn–at The Community Storyboard.
Autumn Memories
the air is crisp and seeps through my sweater and a flannel shirt to cool my skin
the leaves are bursting into a riot of yellow, gold, orange, magenta, blood red
all there is to eat is mulled cider and pumpkin pie spiced with ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon
when I was a child, my cat would start sleeping with me again,
instead of spending her night roaming, hunting mice in the cornfields
dry, crunchy leaves raked into mountains in which my brother and I would hide,
waiting for the low rumble of our mother’s car as she pulled into the driveway after work,
jumping up and showering leaves on her as her tired feet carried her down the walkway
the thick sweet smell of candle wax and pumpkin pulp
the flickering light of jack o’lanterns peeking out from neighbors yards in the black of night,
their serrated smiles and angled eyes making me uneasy
Autumn was a pause in life, a time to let things go,
a time to enjoy the beauty of decay and death
Always confident that Spring would eventually come
16 responses to “Writing Prompt: Autumn”
Oh, beautiful! The words mulled cider and pumpkin pie, combined with the blood red leaves- ah! Such amazing imagery. Thank you! Fall is my favorite season.
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Mine too :). Thanks, Katie!
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Me three!
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🙂
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It feels so, well, Fallish! Can’t wait for cooler temps. So very nice. I was glad that you saw the beauty in death and decay…it is the only way we can truly appreciate new life.
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Thank you! The temps have been a bit cooler here in the morning. Hope we get more than just a fleeting hint of Fall 😉
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My senses came alive in this and my own memories tangled with yours. I love that you noticed that your cat came back at night in the fall. Just wonderful.
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Thank you so much! I find it interesting how the memories start to flow when I let them. By the way, my cat’s name was Autumn. She was a dark tortoise shell. Very independent, but when it got cold she would stay inside and lay across my neck while I slept. Since we didn’t have any heating, I appreciated her body warmth 🙂
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Love your thought and that photo!
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Thanks, Jill. I took the photo last time I was NY, in October 2009. Loved that tree 🙂
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Thanks for making it feel more like fall. Love it.
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Thanks, Dave. It felt like Fall while I was writing it. Then I stepped outside. Ok, maybe there’s a hint of Fall right now, but I want more 🙂
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You make it sound so golden and glorious! All we’ve had is rain for a week!
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Thank you! But you do have lots of trees 🙂
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That drip down my neck 😉
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Ha ha ha 🙂
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