October's Bright Blue Weather

October's Bright Blue Weather

by Helen Hunt Jackson

O suns and skies and clouds of June,

and flowers of June together,

Ye cannot rival for one hour,

October's bright blue weather.

When loud the bumble-bee makes haste,

belated, thriftless, vagrant,

And golden-rod is dying fast,

and lanes with grapes are fragrant.

When gentians roll their fringes tight

to save them for the morning,

And chestnuts fall from satin burrs,

without a sound of warning;

When on the ground red apples lie

in piles like jewels shining,

And redder still on old stone walls

are leaves of woodbine twining;

When all the lovely wayside things

Their white-winged seeds are sowing,

And in the fields, still green and fair,

Late aftermaths are growing.

When springs run low, and on the brooks,

In idle golden freighting,

Bright leaves sink noiseless in the hush

of woods, for winter waiting;

When comrades seek country haunts,

by twos and threes together,

And counts like misers, hour by hour,

October's bright blue weather.

O suns and skies and clouds of June,

Count all your boasts together,

Love loveth best of all the year

October's bright blue weather.

The above poem is one of my favorites for expressing the colorful wonders of the autumn time of year. The vibrant foliage of the dying leaves against the background of a crisp blue sky is the envy of all visual artists. I always mourn the passing of summer but likewise admire the beauty of autumn. 

Author's Note: The second picture above is of my friend and fellow blogger, Adimu, and myself beside a river that flows through central Virginia. This image may not be used without written consent of both Adimu and myself. 

Peace! Get naked. Enjoy!

Bare With Pride