Click picture for original source.
Hope
November embers—
ashes from my father’s grave.
No. Wait!
He was buried.
It’s merely dust,
fusting up my head.
Clouds (or were they
clods?)
of earth
chucked in
behind him,
but we weren’t there
for that
(neither was he
if you believe
in All Souls).
November first—
I thirst for life,
yet fear the worst.
My own gets closer
to its end
with every leaf
that drops
and every
feather on the ground
signifying…
November exposes
last summer’s roses—
strips them and they’re
g o n e.
I saw a robin
fence-sitting.
It gave me hope
for Spring.
Kat Mortensen©2009 
3-5-3, 3-7-5 
KatI will refuse to submit as long as possible to the cold of the end of winters.We can become the old wise ones!
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I paticularly like the “No. Wait!” part. Humanity. We can't escape it, can we?(hey…I like the red!)
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Keep hoping-it's still a long way off!
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Oh, Kat! I love this. I love the thinking and rethinking, the uncertainty and the certainties it contains. What a fitting counterpoint to my latest posting. This is wonderful.
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I like the light at the end of your poem, Kat. We need that hope, don't we?And I love your November quote, by the by! Being so near the city of jitters myself…=)Michele
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I love “a robin fence-sitting” as an image, and the cautious defiance of it all.
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Kat, I loved this poem. It seems that the older I get the more I appreciate the days – gloomy or sunny. The more I appreciate many things I never paid much attention to before. And I think that I will always hope for Spring. Thanks for a lovely poem.
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I follow the sentiment of this poem and the reflections over the span of a lifetime, much like the span of a year. Lovely work.xoxo
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ah, but even in the fall, there is still spring in our hearts…
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What an amusing and poignant reflection on All Soul's Day. I like hyour style of poetry–so real, with a silent atmosphere but intense at the same time.
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Lady in Red!I always like the way you blend sadness and humour so seamlessly – the No. Wait! section is brilliant, and I like the intimacy of the latter stages of the poem. Good one.
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When I lived in your area of the world , I always created flowers and goodsmells, and decorations to carry me to spring- great picture..sandy
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A lovely tribute, as are all your poems for your dad–I loved the brief appearance of the robin.
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Very moving, Poetikat. I like the touch of hope at the end too!
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Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul, And sings the tune–without the words, And never stops at all. . .There's always that robin. A lovely tribute.
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Time for another cup of tea my beautiful friend!
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Loved the poem. Hate to rub it in but, here in upper northern California we are unseasonably warm. In the 80s the last two weeks. The poor plants are so confused. The Morning Glories and Hibiscus are blooming like crazy. I know a hard frost is just around the corner and new life will just be shut down for a while.
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You have definitely captured the essence of a gloomy day Kat. I'm so glad you have this cheery red to counter the effect. And I am loving the thought of arobin right now!
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Lovely ,Sad , funny,portentous, hopeful the whole schemozzle.And I love the Robin at the end.I often see boirds as signs , usually of hope or luck.A heron flying overhead has always cheered me, often in the most incongruos of ocations like on busy motorways where you wouldn't expct to see one.For the week that is in it, I will light a little candle for your Da and you.
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Delightful, Kat. You caught the feeling of the beginning of November.
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There is that feeling with November of the cycle of life. The ground is wet and cold with a faint whiff of decay and spring seems so distant. Well captured Kat. And to top it all, I have a cold! Jeanne xPS I do like your new red background.
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Like the colour of your blog and the feeling of that poem–serindipitous almost. nice to “meet” you here, as it were.
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I love the robin at the end here, the sign of hope, our robins even have a special autumnnal song
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There's always hope 🙂
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November closes in and early darkness feels as if it will stay too long..”with every leaf that drops”..and yet you expect the spring!
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Lovely poem, Kat. I'm glad you saw the robin, to counteract “every feather on the ground signifying…”
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Sorry your day was gloomy. I never see winter as dark or deadly. It's cool and refreshing and excuse to snuggle down deep with a doona and a good DVD. Funny . . I'm sort of dreading the onslaught of summer. I don't really care for the heat.
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Wonderful words written 🙂
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Hello, Kat,I've popped in after seeing your comments on other blogs I follow, like Karen's, for example. Your poem is very good. It's a perfect counterpoint to my poem November Roses posted on Nov. 3. Please come check it out if you have time. I'm in central Calif and it's Indian summer here. I think I'll follow you. Cheers, Chris Alba
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perfect post reflecting the feelings on a graveyard visit, although I also feel a strong sense of connection and gratitude there
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