...As Ancient
As Time
Ever so slowly,
minute by minute, hour to hour, from one day to the next day,
the seasons evolve. The change from Summer to Autumn is
gradual, but there are distinct markers that create dramatic
change. Ignatius Fay has captured that dramatic moment
in time when a frosty morning has changed a cluster of
leaves to "red-orange" in a hedge. It was only yesterday that
those leaves were a delightful summer green; but now...
the first
cluster
red-orange leaves in the hedge
—frost this morning
# 03. Ignatius Fay, CA
...and suddenly,
without even noticing that change has happened the distinct
signs of the changing season are everywhere around us—cool
temperatures, and drying leaves:
a touch of
autumn—
the rustling of dry leaves
in a gust of wind
# 67. Keith A. Simmonds, TT
The evidence of
climate change is dramatically evident:
golden fans
of ginko leaves
autumn sunshine
# 08. Patricia Carragon, US
Sudden additions
of color emerge in the landscape:
dust storm
fallen avocado leaves
turned red
# 98. Barbara A Taylor, AU
In the cool winds,
a cascade of leaves:
a crisp wind
blowing in the sunlight—
spiral of leaves
# 37. Keith A. Simmonds, TT
Collecting on the
ground, here and there, the ruminants of summer growth:
in the
cul-de-sac
dead leaves
come to rest
# 82. Terri French, US
Then, the
inevitable...
Leaves fall
one by one from the branch—
first snow
# 100. Maria Tirenescu, RO
That dramatic
temperature change—the
ice, the snow; now, winter has arrived:
icy water—
the full moon
among the fallen leaves
# 45. Jacek Margolak, PL
Every where, we
observe the decay of the season:
Only a leaf
in the spider's web—
a rainy day
# 101. Maria Tirenescu, RO
The transformation
of old growth churns itself into new elements poised in
anticipation of a new season—the
pinnacle of change:
rotting
beneath brown leaves—
the last cucumber
# 86. Terri French, US
With relentless
certainly, the process invades every nook and corner:
Leaves
everywhere—
in the pitiless rain
the abandoned nest
# 107. Maria Tirenescu, RO
Who can capture
the ultimate end, the finality?
the last
of its leaves—
pear tree
91. Alexander "Lex" Joy, US
sixteen
leaves on the cherry tree...
fifteen
# 65. André Surridge, NZ
blowing into
my cupped hands
the last leaf falls
# 88. Terri French, US
The impact on
human life is bleak:
dark road
long shadow of a dead leaf
hurries across
85. Sasa Vazic, SR
Yet, life
continues, emerges in new forms:
at the
threshold
of a birth house—left alone:
a dry leaf
94. Sasa Vazic, SR
Humans,
industriously engage in restorative measures:
autumn...
raking leaves
off the pond
# 58. André Surridge, NZ
The artful
collection of change enchants the artistic mind of some
humans; capturing the change in full color is an artistic
expression:
autumn—
more and more yellow leaves
in my vase
# 09. Andrzej Dembończyk, PL
...and inevitably,
the momentary treasures, yield to change...
autumn leaves—
my stored-up treasure
gone with the wind
# 66. Monica E. Smith, US
Some carefully
placed collections are preserved:
Grandmother's
attic—
between the book leafs
dry wrinkled leaves
# 59. Monika Wojtenka, PL
Just as the
seasons change so do the daily needs of human life change:
mom and dad
selling the city house—
raking leaves
#18. Ignatius Fay, CA
Symbolically, the
final gesture is an intimate moment:
falling leaves—
last kiss
before parting
# 11 Krzysztof Kokot, PL
These fourteen
poets have captured essential moments in their "leaves" haiku;
the moments of change from season to season as ancient as
time.
John Daleiden
