Small Pumpkins
Autumn Flow
Autumn moves steadily forward.
Leaves color the wind
with wings of gold.
Northern plains send
their cold blasts and clouds
which hide the season’s sun -
at night geese ride the currents
to reach warmer climes.
From harvest festivals the scent
of warm, spiced cider brings
comfort to these changing times.
Lainie Senechal
Joe Pye Weed Along Stream
Bee the Morning
After a night’s rain
wind sweeps the sky
clean of sullen clouds.
Through the morning window
one sees the bees fly
to the balcony blossoms.
They exuberantly explore them,
hopeful to win sweet nectar
which will provide the necessary
nourishment to sustain them
through long and barren winter days.
Lainie Senechal
Blue Moon
Night of the Blue Moon
The Blue Moon sends
its beam through a gap
in the forest trees
illuminating the landscape
as if dawn will soon arrive.
Dreams are disturbed
by its persistent light,
forgotten memories awaken,
the past becomes the present,
for time is not transient
in the visions of the night.
Lainie Senechal
The Garden at Satori
Mid-August
Hummingbirds with rapid wings
visit flowers more frequently
then slip quickly away
to find new blossoms
as they bank calories
for the migration south.
A list of fall vegetables
appears at the farm stand:
butternut squash, cabbages,
and soon the pumpkins
next to the sweet corn.
The long hours of light
are slowly fading away
as summer moves
toward its final days.
Lainie Senechal
The River After Rain
Summer Rain Along the Contoocook
With torrents of steady rain
the Contoocook has escaped
its banks, covered walks,
and trapped the reeds
in green isles where
they rustle in the current.
Frogs in the nearby swamp
are suddenly sleepless.
Their raspy croaks continue
uninterrupted through the night.
The humid haze of morning
hangs heavy in the air.
Thoughts of cooler days occur,
but this is high summer,
which we will long for
in winter’s frigid cold.
Lainie Senechal
Along the Contoocook – May
The Goblet of Spring
The goblet of spring is finally
overflowing with succulent nectar.
Long awaited warmth has helped
to surprise us with a burst
of bountiful blossoms filled
with pollen to laden
the bumblebees, newly
awakened from winter abodes.
Across the land an immense
flow of bright green created
by an emergence of new leaves.
The unrelenting beauty of May
is everywhere – settled in gardens,
along roadsides, amid forests -
renewing the spirit, once again.
Lainie Senechal
Where the Wood Frogs Sing
Early Spring in the Contoocook Valley
Winter’s poor stretch of weather
replaced by warmer days.
The Contoocook’s current continues
its swift flow, fed by melting snow.
Daffodils have only green shoots
but a chorus of wood frogs
sweeps across an ephemeral pool.
The wave of crimson haze
along the forest’s edge foretells
the appearance of fresh leaves.
Watchers on the hills attempt
to catch the hawks’ migration
as nuthatches search for cozy crevices
in which to construct their new nests.
Lainie Senechal
First Blossoms of Spring
Spring’s Arrival
The brisk spring wind
follows a day of calm.
Snow piles remain on edges
which create an undertow
of remembrance for winter’s woes.
The dry, rust-colored leaves,
remnants of last autumn,
swirl in the stiff breeze.
Our thoughts are pulled
towards days of expected warmth -
a time when beaches will open
and a wave of green will
spread across the barren land.
Even the weeds will be welcomed,
at least for a while.
Lainie Senechal
Winter Birds
March Nor’Easter
The blizzard brings heavy, wet snow
that nests in the empty boughs
and coats long, thin ends of branches
like thick braids of white hair.
The view disappears among
the intricate tangle of weighty limbs,
as birds, with feathers fluffed, flock to feeder.
A rush of wind and a thunderous crash
splinters an overburdened tree.
Lights go dim and power is lost
to the tumult of the storm.
Lainie Senechal
Wolf Moon
February Reverie
The Wolf Moon shines
through the leafless trees
and reflects in silver
on the piles of snow that
remain in the empty forest.
On warm February winds
our spirits are lifted -
thoughts soar to spring.
A dream of the garden calls,
where we will spread compost
on the softened soil to plant
seeds for summer’s plenty.
Lainie Senechal