“Poetry might be defined as the clear expression of mixed feelings.” —W.H. Auden

How does one express mixed feelings? And who among us doesn’t have them at one time or another? I would venture to say that every one of us experiences them at intervals.

I’m not sure if I’m writing poetry or as some call it, prose. I’m going to say that what I write is sort of like stories written in prose. The following one is an attempt to portray my feelings, and they are mixed, about the seasons. Appropriately, I’ve titled it, “The Seasons.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Seasons

Some people say that winter is the best of the seasons.
And they’re sort of convincing when they share their reasons.
Who am I to pick one of nature’s times over the rest;
And with my own limited reasoning, call it other than the best?

I’m inclined to like winter’s preseason, the one known as fall.
Who after seeing the glorious colors could see another better at all?
God dips a paintbrush with a splash of red, yellow, purple and gold,
And with one stroke paints the most majestic scene to behold.

It’s enough to reach into the depths of my heart and settle there,
As I look at God’s artwork and perceive the beauty through the autumn air.
But this globe upon which we dwell continues in its orbit around the sun,
Daylight grows less and winter draws closer as fall is done.

The trees who just a short time ago were covered in coats of green,
Just yesterday, it seems, exploded into a glorious scene.
And now that beauty has somewhat diminished for you and me,
Nights are growing longer and days getting shorter as God wills it be.

The illusion we see tells us the sun is moving south in the sky,
As millions of birds contemplating warmer climates gather to fly.
Their migration will take them south following the fleeting sun,
They know they need to leave before winter’s fury has begun.

December arrives with lots of wind, rain and sometimes, even snow,
Ringing in the Christmas season with its lights all aglow.
The whole Christian world lights up with joy and mirth,
As minds and thoughts center on celebrating Jesus’ birth

Then January encourages us to let go of the season we hold so dear,
As it makes its presence known by ringing in the New Year.
It also brings winter in its fullness filled with wind, snow and frost
As temperatures plunge and memories of warmer days are nearly lost.

Then it’s on to spring with its increasing warmth and light,
As days grow longer and less darkness fills the night.
Spring gladdens the heart, as buds of new life begin to appear,
Hope seems to arise within us, more so than any other time of year.

Birds winging their way north, slowly putting temperatures to the test.
And oh, the excitement that springs forth from within the human breast,
As our eyes catch a glimpse of the first robin of the season.
Our hearts shout, and jump with joy, needing only this tiny reason.

Our beautiful planet keeps traveling on, wrapped in God’s tender care,
As spring fades behind us and summer’s warmth fills the air.
Oh how glorious it is to look up at the sky on a clear summer’s night.
As everything within your being tells you, God got it all just right!

Quite often summer spreads too much humidity over the land,
Causing my thoughts to jump ahead and visualize fall’s cooling hand.
But then the humidity fades as the sun smiles from an azure sky,
On these days I wish time would stand still and not pass summer by.

But this, I realize, is wishful thinking, in a changing world of time.
The only hope I have is to write about it and hold it eternally in rhyme.
God has already set a circular course without destination, as He saw fit,
And the earth cannot deviate from its orbit, no, not one little bit.

And so the summer fades and once again I’m back to where I started,
Watching autumn quickly approach as summer and fall are parted.
It’s a continuous cycle that has been going on since the beginning of time,
And will continue throughout the ages to come, and eons so sublime.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for visiting this site. I am truly grateful.

“Love is your safety. Fear does not exist. Identify with love, and you are safe. Identify with love, and you are home. Identify with love, and find your Self.” –ACIM

“Veganism is believing that an animal’s life is worth more than a sandwich. That’s it! That’s how simple it is.” –The Spiritual Vegan

Copyrighted 2,023