Sunday, November 22, 2020

Autumn: Theme and Variations - poems



THEME AND VARIATIONS


Theme
A TRAVELER'S MEDITATION
(Amphion pattern)

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

Variation 1
        HIGHWAY 23 IN AUTUMN
                Neville pattern

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 2
        SAME TIME EACH YEAR
                Neville

The autumn beauty's everywhere--
magenta, scarlet leaves,
bronzed stands of wheat in sheaves;
sun-burnished pastures, fragrant air;
umbrellaed groves whose boughs
shade drowsy brindle cows--
creation's annual fall affair.


Variation 3

AUTUMN SONG (a 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 4

AN AUTUMN MINUTE
Minute pattern

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.
--poems from my book, Variations, 1994

c 2020, PL dba lovepat press, Benton AR USA





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