The late poet and writer Ted Hughes writes:
Have you noticed how your mood depends on the weather? All living things are natural barometers, and change as the weather changes.
(Ted Hughes, Poetry in the Making 1967)
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Hello again
I am sharing here a new poem. It is one that will be in a forthcoming zine, so previously unpublished. I am aware that there is a ‘rule’ stating something like: thou shall not write poems about writing poems - but this is just that. It does not set out to take itself too seriously. Hope you enjoy reading (I hope the substack template will not do weird things with the line formatting, but if it does I hope it is still readable!)
How To Write An Autumn Poem
Remember all your best poems have been
written one wet afternoon in a classroom
centuries ago. There are no new
divergences though your handwriting
is as spidery as ever.
Forget the names of trees and clouds
as you remember old paths.
Find new ways to celebrate the fog.
Watch for a moment, the defiant flowers,
a dark shadow of selves,
trace their songs and keep them in your pocket
with acorns and rose hips.
Be stoic as the world flutters madly.
Walk with your heart as fiery as the trees.
Fill your baskets with bird song,
your mind with emptiness.
Become a little mysterious to yourself,
a hunter-gatherer with leaves in her hair.
Thank you for reading
All of this makes me very happy, the idea of immersing in life rather than thinking about it. And “Be stoic as the world flutters madly.”— I’m going to hold onto that! And a ZINE!!
Have a wonderful week, Cathy!