And October Creeps In...

My favorite picture from September...
with my favorite (only. best. amazing!)
sister LynnOctober, oh how you've snuck up on me this year! Happy Poetry Friday, everyone... be sure to visit Jama at Jama's Alphabet Soup for some delicious Roundup!

Thank you to those have written or called to check on me this past month. I've been traveling with the release of DEAR WANDERING WILDEBEEST and revising a novel and kind of re-evaluating how I spend my time. My father has been seriously ill, and he lives in far North Dakota, so that has been the focus of much of my energy. It's a powerful reminder of how precious time is, and how easily we let the hours and days slip away from us. So, yeah. Heavy stuff!

Meanwhile, I had intended to share a September poem from Lilian Moore's book SOMETHING NEW BEGINS, which, I ordered after Renee's amazing post about Lilian (with the help of Lee Bennett Hopkins!) at No Water River and after Laura Purdie Salas mentioned this book in particular at Teaching Authors. Thank you, ladies! I have a few more poems dog-eared to share with you in the coming weeks.

It may be October, but I am sharing the "September" poem with you today anyhow. Hey, I live in the Deep South, which means the poem is actually more accurate of October (or even November!) for me, so that's my justification. :)

September
by Lilian Moore

Something is bleeding
into the
pond,
the stains are freshly
red.

Look-
beyond
and overhead.
The maple

is crimson spattered.
Summer is fatally
wounded.
Soon, soon
dead.

--------------------------
Kind of macabre, isn't it? Beautiful, though.

And now for something lighter: our October theme over at Smack Dab in the Middle is "creepy," so I wrote creepy poem for all my writer-friends. Click here to read "Creepy Poem" by Irene Latham. Or... you can just listen. :)