L'aura del Campo

Grizz won; Maxine Kumin; October 12th poem.

Today's scribble

October 12th, Montana

Winter came as Columbus came:
harsh, unbending, ending summer
arrogant ripples against the shores
spectres of death, unexpected.
They should've killed him way-back-when,
should've killed the men who followed.

Now, winter freezes maple leaves,
that two months later, not relieved
by wind or fluff of snow, still beg
to be released from branch and limb.

Yes, winter came as Columbus came
as former lovers often came,
as guests that bore cheap gifts then left,
spewing cold white froth and out-of-breath.

© Kåre Enga [166.336] 2009-12-11

Sketching it out:

I suspect the metaphors are not opaque. If so... don't ask me to explain.

It's the 13th of December and the dead leaves still cling to many of the trees, especially the maple.

October 12th, 2009: Normal temps 59/32; actual 33/8 with a mean temp of 21º even breaking the previous record low temp of 22º set in 2002. To say that it was a shock to everyone's system after a warm summer-like September is not exaggerating.

Other writers say...

Maxine Kumin, the consummate rural New Englander often speaks of her farm and her love of swimming in her poems.

Here she reads "After Love", "Summer Meditation" and "The Final Poem":



Thou:

zwisis is looking forward to moving back to Zimbabwe. Living in a foreign land has its up and downs as any who have experienced it will tell you. It has been a 6 year exile to Greece and then Turkey and has taken its toll.

Me and Mine:

The Chattanooga choo choo will have some Montana fans on it this week. Villanova and Montana meet on Friday the 18th.

I was one of 24,207 frozen fans who braved the temps (17.6-19.9º) during the game. By the second half the Hellgate wind was howling and it was snowing quite heavily, enough so that Mt. Dean Stone disappeared in the white sky.

The game was close and well fought and was in doubt until the last play with the Mountaineers snarling at the Grizz's 3 yard line. The Grizz sneered back and held. Most fans were still there in the stands cheering...

So... Chattanooga?

Montana: 19º and blowing snow in downtown Missoula at noon.

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