Autumn
By Cecily Bryant
The singing of crickets in unison
herald the coming of the waning light,
Daddy long-legs do their push-ups on my
door frame, and the Joe-Pye weed stand like
tawny sentinels daring the fall to come
I am both solemn at summer’s passing
and happy for autumn’s respite
The sward beyond my back door has thatched
from August’s heat, but the air is now cool and cleaned
The rose hips in the garden have turned their
brightest orange, and the last of the bees
still search among the drying lavender
I am grateful for my Island home, and feel
the good fortune of her peaceful countenance
When the geese start to gather in the great ponds
for their migration south and the marshes begin to bronze
I pull my blanket around my shoulders
and whisper thankyou to the passing clouds
Cecily Bryant was a longtime resident of West Tisbury, where she raised her son and operated a small, rural school. Her poems have been included in several publications.
Poets with a connection to Martha’s Vineyard are encouraged to submit poems to community@mvtimes.com.
