Autumn in the Oaks Woods

There is a softness in the woods in autumn,
A stillness on a calm day
When leaves drift downwards
and pine needles tumble
and the air is pungent with dirt and dampness.
It is then that moss grows thick like velvet
on tree trunks, rocks and ground,
when the rust littered forest floor
crackles where you step.
Yes, there is a softness
a gentle good-bye to summer,
and a hush before winter begins.

~Kathie Adams Brown (11-10-11)

A River Flows

When tragedy comes,
A river flows
from my heart is a great swell of tears and emotions
and I am swept away
only to be tossed upon the shore
farther along in my life
bruised and battered
by the rocks and debris
lying unseen beneath the churning rapids.

Then, tossed upon the sand;
lying in the gravel,
my heart thunders in my chest
until it gains its quiet.
And I lie there in the sunshine
or the moonlight,
whatever the case may be
and breathe earth scents
and water, and life,
and rise again.

~Kathie Adams Brown (October 12, 2011)

One Single Impression


Prompt 189: River

The Artist in Me

There is an artist in me,

A stirring in my soul, a creativity I need to indulge,

So why do I deny it?

Art must be honored,

Preserved,

Expressed.

I will find my way out there,

And inward,

To that busy place,

Quiet place,

Active place

Of creativity.

~Kathie Adams Brown (October 5, 2011)


OSI Promt 188: Language

Grackles

Grackles,
falling like a plague on my feeders,
feeding like locusts in a  frenzy,
black leaves in autumn--here,
and then gone
Migration.

~Kathie Adams Brown

When Autumn was Delayed

I am ready for Autumn but,
it has been delayed,
after a brief tease of
cool nights
and crisp days
with the smoke of a wood fire
lingering in the night air
the sultry gray days of summer have returned
with mugginess, humidity, and mosquitoes
slugs slide across the lawn
a few gold tinted leave flutter to the damp ground
but everything hangs in this thick, soupy air
Waiting.

~Kathie Adams Brown (September 25, 2011)

I Know What is Coming

The Summer Grasses are starting to fade,
Daylight is slipping away,
I see the hint of color in the leaves,
and I know what is coming.
As blackbirds gather into flocks by the thousands
preparing to become a black ribbon in the blue sky
I feel the coming dormancy,
the future leaf drop,
the coming snow.
I feel the darkness coming,
and the dread.
I know what is coming...

~Kathie Adams Brown (August 20, 2011)

A Symphony of Silence

Silence…Is a blanket of calm

Wrapped around me—

A stillness in my heart and my soul,

A quiet place of peace.

Silence…is a gag

Holding back my words,

Restraining my thoughts,

Restraining my voice,

Keeping a secret,

Allowing a lie to exist.

Silence is the non-sound

Of wings in the night,

Falling on prey,

Swift and sudden,

Unheard and unknown,

Then it is over.

Silence…is the sweet calm in the night,

The soft rocking of a chair,

And a newborn finally asleep.

~Kathie Adams Brown (August 14, 2011)

One Single Impression Prompt 181: Silence