October Winds

By Cliff Lake

 

October Winds

 

October winds.

Blowing by,

Blowing through.

They carry the hints of smoke,

And the sacrificial spice of the turning leaf.

Have you felt the underchill those winds bring?

A presage of colder winds to come,

But not yet,

Not yet.

Have you heard the low whistles in the graying eve?

Lonely voicings just around the corner,

And always sounding nearer.

And do the spirits arrive unbidden,

Uncalled,

Arriving unseen,

And causing the skin to prickle.

Or have you wished for their whispers,

From some gray unfulfilling,

You do not acknowledge in full day?

Glad discomforts!

Though should you see their eyes…

And what voices cry from the skies?

Blown from impossible heights,

Forlorn calls as if grieving flight.

Arrowed and aloft,

Heading to warmer feed.

Will you follow?

Or will you remain,

Taking comfort in orange flame in the hearth,

Or flowering in the trees for a time…

Such short bloomings.

All of these are borne on the breeze, yes,

And carry with them the memory of past seasons,

And October winds.

 

Cliff Lake 10/21/2024

Copyright © Clifford Lake 2024

Location: Wichita, KS, USA

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