October Days
Fluttering, turning, floating
Across the autumn sky,
Gold and scarlet and apple-sweet
The leaf-like days drift by.
Lazy days of bittersweet
When time stands almost still…
But harvest moon and crisp night air
Bring a hint of the coming chill.
Rake them in! Gather them up
As a miser hoards his gold,
As a squirrel hides his acorns
Against the bitter cold.
For the lazy, golden, cinnamon days
When time stood almost still
Will warm your heart ’til a misty night
Brings an end to winter’s will.
Barbara Peckham
Barbara Peckham has lived on Martha’s Vineyard since 2001. A retired teacher, in 2011 she published a book of poetry, “A Jar of Summer.”