AUTUMN: Theme and Variations

Theme:
"A Traveler's Meditation" (Amphion)

God's handiwork is all around:
Bright red leaves,
wheat in sheaves,
Fertile farms where flocks abound;
Shaded cows
chew and drowse;
Mountains' multi-colored dress;
Thunderclouds
draped in shrouds:
God's bounteous works are limitless.
~~

Variation I

"Highway 23 in Autumn" (Neville)

God's handiwork is all around:

in scarlet, yellow leaves

and golden wheat in sheaves.

Sun-burnished pasturelands abound;

leafy groves shading cows

that switch and chew and drowse.

God's goodness--in all life--profound.

~~

Variation II

"Autumn Song" (Pantoum)

God's handiwork is all around,

Magenta, scarlet, yellow leaves;

Sun-burnished pasturelands abound,

Cut, ripened wheat stands bronzed in sheaves.

Magenta, scarlet, yellow leaves,

Umbrella groves of sassafras,

Cut, ripened wheat stands bronzed in sheaves--

a visual banquet unsurpassed.

Umbrella groves of sassafras,

a camouflage for brindle cows,

(a visual banquet unsurpassed)

which nonchalantly chew and drowse.

Like Garland's fresh-shaved stubble, gold,

sun-burnished pasturelands abound,

and I sing with the oriole,

"God's handiwork is all around."

~~

Variation III

"An Autumn Minute" (Minute)

The autumn beauty's everywhere--

in fragrant air,

magenta leaves,

bronzed wheat in sheaves.

Sun-burnished pastures stubbled gold,

lone oriole,

umbrellaed groves

--bovine alcoves--

a visual banquet unsurpassed,

a rich repast.

All senses share

fall/s love affair.

~~

PL - from Variations - published 1994