Monday, September 04, 2006

The Crickets' Autumn Song
By Don Iannone

Solitary crickets drone on
through the night's deepest hours
about fall's impending ascent.
They tell poignant epic-level stories,
which they will never quite finish,
leaving last lines for the winter sun
to write on fresh-fallen snow.
The crickets hypnotic chirping drowns out
the 12:07 am train, passing unnoticed,
except by the squealing rails, stretching
from one end of the night to the other.
Summer died suddenly, but gloriously,
like the fuzzy green caterpillar, who morphed
in one afternoon into a graceful butterfly.
The crickets just do what they do,
without being asked, or being rewarded.
For they sing in a voice heard by the turning leaves,
the fading grass, and swelling pumpkins,
who otherwise might miss their time.
When I was young, I was too busy
to hear the crickets sing.
But now autumn rises up in me,
and I ready for the winter sun
to once again write last lines
in the fresh-fallen snow.

19 comments:

Gloria Ferris said...

Just as I clicked on your name at BFD, Tim asked me is that a cricket or a frog? I said cricket just as your beautiful poem signifying the end of summer appeared on my computer screen.

How amazing life is! I had time for crickets when I was young because I listened to them to help me fall asleep something that I had trouble doing when I was young. If I heard the two a.m. train whistle in the distance, the crickets hadn't done their job and I was in for a sleepless night waiting for dawn.

ufukhati said...

don,

Crickets are singing very sad songs, I guess. I'm thinking of the "blazing political sky" now. The land is bleeding and certainly those crickets are losing their dreams too.

Romeo Morningwood said...

I love hearing crickets..especially out in the country..where they are so loud!
I am ready for autumn.
By Jiminy I have had enough stifling humid weather..bring on the cool sunny colours of Fall.
Thanks Don

Bob said...

Funny that boys don't have time to listen ...I was the same.
The last four lines strike me powerfully.

Don Iannone, D.Div., Ph.D. said...

Gloria...thanks. Yes, amazing it is.

Thanks Ufukhati...yes, very sad in this case.

Homo Escapeons...thank you, and yes the crickets are loudest in the country. Jiminy it is!

Rob...thanks. So much we attend to as the autumn rises up inside us.

Dan said...

Beautiful!

serenity said...

Again, lovely, Don. So lovely. Those last four lines are wonderful! May you always have a sense of the springtime that still lives inside of you too!!!

Blessings!

Don Iannone, D.Div., Ph.D. said...

Thanks Dan. Hope you enjoyed the long weekend. Love!

Thanks Serenity...hope you had a great weekend. The autumn grows in all of us.

Anonymous said...

i think this is an excellent piece. there's so many different elements captured. i enjoyed most how it shows change in life and seasons; movement through it all. its really great.

"They tell long poignant stories,
which they will never quite finish,
leaving last lines for the winter sun
to write on fresh-fallen snow."

Kathy Trejo said...

This is beautiful Don! Thanks. :)

Pat Paulk said...

Beautifully written Don!!

Margie said...

Yes, beautiful Don!
Hope you had a great weekend!
I had a wonderful one!

J. Andrew Lockhart said...

Oh, I'm not ready for winter!!
great work, though!

Jim said...

Great piece Don, very good lines, very well done and universal yet intimate.

Don Iannone, D.Div., Ph.D. said...

Thank you Baxter, Pat, Jim, Margie, Kathy, and Andrew for reading my words and for your wonderfully warm thoughts.

Baxter...indeed so much packed in a poem, and in life.

Jim...you're right it is universal but intimate.

QUASAR9 said...

On passing, One cricket said to another cricket:

Hi Don,
it is hard to deny the physical world exists - matter, pain, ...
it is equally impossible to deny the non-physical world exists, thoughts, creativity, maths, computing and words - which we externalise into:
IT data, programs, games, ...
Art, music, dance, theatre, film, ...
Science, engineering, construction,...

We are constantly dancing between the two states either materialising (actualising) our dreams, building homes, swimming pools, tennis courts, offices, computers, space ships, fuel efficient high performance cars, planes, trains, ...

and spiritualising (human) matter, for matter is temporal, ephemeral, transient, in a constant state of change, but man (and woman) is more than matter. Spirit is also ephemeral in a constant state of change, but the human spirit transcends matter.

Have a nice day!

Don Iannone, D.Div., Ph.D. said...

Ah, so true Quasar...between the two worlds we dance. In reality they are one and we are one as well. Only the words create distinctions in the seamless universe. Thanks. Blessings.

dumbdodi said...

Dear Don, lucky are those crickets for you noticed them :-)

Don Iannone, D.Div., Ph.D. said...

Dumbdodi...thanks. The crickets knew I was desparate to find something to write about. LOL.

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