It is three weeks until Autumn Equinox 2022. I first wrote and published this piece in 2008, significantly revised it in 2018, sharing it again on dVerse in response to a wonderful prompt by Amaya Engleking. I now have further refined it in small ways, and choose to share it again here in 2022. Much has changed in the 14 years since I first wrote this, but not my love for the Pacific Northwest, and most especially — Oregon. It is in the light of this abiding love, that I now share this piece once more here on dVerse, for OLN, September 1st, 2022. Peace!
Autumn is upon us, as we enter our season of nature’s rest and replenishment here in the Pacific Northwest. The cycle of renewal will begin in western Oregon, where I lived for 25 years. I moved in 2015 to Seattle to be near my young grandson. Still immersed in Pacific Northwest beauty here, but Oregon will always hold my heart.
The summer’s dry period has ended, and agricultural irrigation has ceased. Harvesting explodes in October into November, including the grape harvest in our many vineyards. Following the gathering of this autumn bounty, the soil is left to recover. The fruit and nut trees, the vines in the vineyards, and the crop fields will begin the slow period of winter revitalization, in anticipation of the growing seasons to come in the new year. The Great Mandala of life turns steady. The rains that begin sporadically in late October, increasing into November, will work their magic — plumping Oregon’s world-class Christmas tree and holly crops, renewing the sparkle of these holiday icons, readying them for harvest.
Wild nature will also enter a period of recovery and renewal. The flowering plants that have dropped their petals, and the grasses and brush, gone late-summer golden, seek these nurturing rains. Mighty evergreens pause, conifers drop their cones, and deciduous trees shed their leaves all go dormant, and rest. The vast Northwest forests are enriched by this period of rejuvenation.
Streams, whose water levels have dropped considerably, will come to new life when rains begin to replenish their flow. Sockeye and Chinook salmon start their run upstream to begin their spawn. Rainbow, Brook, German Brown, and Cutthroat Trout, as well as numerous other species become active as waters rise and cool. Bear, deer, cougar, elk, coyote, big horn sheep, pronghorn antelope, hawk, osprey, eagle; the varied and plentiful wildlife of our region begin preparation for their unique winter rituals.
Autumn nudges into winter, a peaceful time of rest and restoration here in this breathtakingly beautiful region. A regenerative calm lies upon the lush land, as the season of sky-water arrives to quench nature’s thirst, and revivify her energies in this utopia.
Just as the gardener
nurtures her tend
bending close
to nourish
and protect
so too nature stoops
to embrace
and refresh
her pacific northwest paradise
her autumn shadow upon the land
she leans down
and lets flow life-giving waters
to enrich this lush realm
she covers her beloved eden
in a soft blanket
of moist cloud
a shelter from chilled winter
to insure a rich bounty
when spring returns
abundant fruits
vegetables
and nuts
hill-climbing vineyards
towering trees
too numerous to imagine
endless grasses
bushes
berries
and flowers
all will be spring succulent
from buildiing winter waters
mountain streams
valley rivers
swell with migrating fish
as they journey home
up these fresh waters
of new birth
birds and animals
flock and gather
embraced by this season
of quiet replenish
in balanced step
and close harmony
with this cycle
they too
will welcome next spring
with plentiful new life
a sustaining love
this affair
life
nurtured to flourish
in the eventual spring
*
published: rob kistner © 2008
revised: rob kistner © 2018
final revision: rob kistner © 2022
* More poetry at: dVerse
your prose and your poem show how intimately you know this landscape!
i listened to a few sound pieces–cool! i’m trying to figure that technology out …
lovely autumnal collage…
Oh, we chose the same month! :o) These are gorgeous photographs, and I enjoyed the strong message of “rebirth” in this piece, which I don’t generally associate with the fall months as much as spring. Very nice!
Wow. Very descriptive. You give a wonderful picture of the Northwest in autumn to this Ohio girl.
-Nicole
wow. wish I were there to see it all.glad you are able to tell it all.
Yeah, you make me wish I could go there. A beautiful poem accompanied by beautiful photographs.
Art Predator –
I’m pleased this spoke to you in a clear voice… 😉
As far as recording spoken word presentations, if you go here on the ReadWritePoem blog, and scroll down to read both of my comments — you will discover how I do it, and what I use. Hope it is helpful to you.
…Rob
Juliet –
Thank you… 😉
DP –
Thank you… 😉
I too relate ‘rebirth’ to Spring. If you read my prose and poetry more closely here, you will see that I presented the Fall/Winter period, which opens in October, as a time of rest, recovery, renewal, regeneration, rejuvenation of the land — in anticipation of the coming Spring ‘rebirth’.
…Rob
Nicloe –
I am glad this piece reached you… 😉
I grew up in Ohio, as did my wife. We’ve been out here in the Pacific Northwest, in Oregon specifically, for 18 years — and we love it!
…Rob
ren –
My pleasure… 😉
Nice to have you stop by again — it’s been a while.
Nathan –
I’m happy this touched you… 😉
You should come to the Pacific Northwest for a visit, you would enjoy yourself. Come in late September through early October — it’s especially gorgeous here at that time.
…Rob
A lovely description of changing seasons and the cycles of the earth.
Christine –
I appreciate your kind words… 😉
…Rob
Yes a lovely description and beautifully illustrated.
Jo –
Thank you sincerely… 😉
Very pretty – I love all the pictures. October is my favorite month!
Oh my goodness, this was wonderful. How I long for the beauty of the fall months after having lived so long now in Florida. I suppose there is beauty here as well, but nothing can beat the latter months of the year in places out in the norhtwest or the northeast.
Thanks, Rob. It’s nice to visit here.
as if you laid a blanket of peace across the blank page filled with color and life… truly beautiful… the great mandala of life turns steady sez it all…
Twitches –
Thank you… 😉
Regina Clare Jane –
Thank you… 😉 …it’s nice to have you visit!
The world is a beautiful place, each region with its own unique splendor.
OMB –
Thank you very much… I love your descriptive flare… 😉
As Joni calls it, “The Circle Game”.
hi rob!
haven’t been here for awhile and i’m so glad i came to visit. i’ve always wanted to visit the pacific northwest, especially oregon. beautiful words and images!
~odessa
Odessa –
I’m so pleased you stopped to visit… 😉
You should make the journey to Oregon, and when you do, take the trip along the Oregon Coast on Highway 101 — breathtaking!
…Rob
As a fellow PNW’er, I really loved how you captured this part of the world!!
pleased this piece resonated for you JP…
…rob
These pieces make me want to permananently escape the hustle and bustle of life in NY.
Very calming imagery.
NY has an energy, and the Pacific Northwest has an energy – just two very different in nature Giovanni…
…rob
So different from here, and yet so similar in many respects. It would be wonderful to come to Oregon (my son was there a few years ago and found it splendiferous). Lovely writing.
Thank you Viv — you would love it here, it’s quite wonderful…
…rob
Wow. This was just lovely.
Especially like the last paragraph of the prose piece.
And the photos are to die for.
Thank you Felicity…
…rob
My birthday is October,
thus I love anything happening in this month.
Happy birthday Jingle… 😉
…rob
Rob, your writing and the landscape you live in are both so beautiful. I’m a little farther north, on the west coast……have always loved Oregon’s spectacular coastline, hope to make it down one more time this lifetime. I enjoyed reading every line of the above, every line so steeped in the beauty and your love of your area. Beautiful writing!
thank you for visiting Sherry, and for your kind words — yes, a trip down the Oregon coast is quite mesmerizing, hope you get to enjoy it at least one more time…
…rob
your prose and poem reflect a deep love of nature whih i carry as well…there is such beauty to be found there…very nice one shot rob!
Thank you Brian, nature is my church…
…rob
Am excited to see the beautiful riot of colors fall brings. Mesmerised would be apt, your words expresses it so well. Wishing you a wonderful season!
Thank you Swapna, and may the season lift and carry your spirit into joy…
…rob
I love the Pacific Northwest and the beauty of the seasons. Your words convey a love for the land so full of life.
Nice One Shot
Just a reminder that we would love you to enter the One Stop Competition (ends oct 22).
Moon Smiles
Thank you for your kind words Leslie, and for visiting me at Image & Verse — I invite you to please return. 😉
I also appreciate your invitation to join your competition — but I must respectfully decline. Personally, I don’t consider the act of creation a competitive event. Rather, each is a unique, ethereal expression of that individual’s soul — a captured momentary glimpse into the core of their being, to be shared and celebrated… not something to be judged or qualified…
…rob
Very interesting and beautiful…
ॠनमः शिवाय
Om Namah Shivaya
Twitter: @VerseEveryDay
Blog: http://shadowdancingwithmind.blogspot.com/
Thank you Shashi…
…rob
a wonderful verse that i am so glad you chose to share..nature is such an inspiration and although i do not live in your part of the world i experienced it through your words
Thank you for the kind words Pete…
…rob
Solid, nature-centric work.
thank you Steve…
…rob
Oh so beautiful, Rob. I, too, adore fall in the Pacific northwest…………the colors, the necessary rain…….right now, our river is just about topping its banks, yikes, and the rains havent yet begun…………I enjoyed every single word of this, you wrote what I see and enjoy here just a few hours north of you.
Are these your photos? Incredible.
Oregon is a spectacularly beautiful place Judy! Thank you for visiting… 🙂
when I go on my walks I see nature teach me and I love the slow, steady lessons. from your prose I find a new truth, nature does pause, and allows us respite if we too stop awhile.
Nature is my peace Gina, and I seek it frequently… :-). Thank you for visiting…
This is wonderful… I so love how you focus on the renewal, the rest as a part of paradise… utopia is possible
Thank you Bjorn, and thank you for visiting my Image &. Verse site. I am now beginning the process of updating it after several years of neglect. After posting on a number of different poetry sites for many years, I have been sidelined the last several years by health. Nice to begin posting again!
Sounds like paradise. Especially in this plaintive “season of sky-water.” Thank you for joining us, Rob.
Thank you Amaya, and thank you for visiting my Image &. Verse site. I am now beginning the process of updating it after several years of neglect. After posting on a number of different poetry sites for many years, I have been sidelined the last several years by health. Nice to begin posting again!
I recognized Multnomah Falls immediately. I lived in Oregon for eight years, and it is indescribably gorgeous. thanks for sharing the photos, and your wonderful description of Oregon.
This was heaven to wake up to. My best friend from high school (in Texas) actually drove to Oregon with her fiance alone to get married several years ago. They loved it.
I’ve always wanted to live in Seattle. I hope to see some of it in reading your blog.
I am happy you enjoyed it Shawna… :-). Seattle is beautiful, but my heart still belongs to Oregon, where I lived for 25 years before moving to the Emerald city in 2015. The beautiful pictures are of Oregon.
Thank you Sara, I am pleased you visited… 🙂
This is so beautiful, absolutely captivating.
Thank you Artheo… 😉
Thank you Artheo… 🙂
Wonderful words!
Hi Rob, it’s funny because I’ve been thinking about you lately for some reason. Just to clarify things, all the posts on my Sweet Talking Guy blog are mine. Danny Wise is my performance (stage) name, and Ian Biro is my nom de plume because it was (jokingly) the best pen name I could think of at the time. I’m sorry that I don’t post much these days or do any of the prompt sites. However, it’s lovely to hear from you, and thank you for visiting my page, Andy Sewina
Cool to hear from you dude! I went through several shitty years eith a failing heart, but a pacemaker has me doing better. I am just beginning to write and post again. This is my personal site, and I have a page I started up this summer on the international site, Hello Poetry. Thst page is at:
https://hellopoetry.com/Artheo/
Just came across an old post of yours, and wanted to say hi – so “Hi!”
Prose and poetry of autumn are wonderful to read. Nature inspired poems are the best for me.
I so agree Grace! Thank you for visiting, reading, and commenting… 🙂
I like the way you’ve described your environment at the top, then distilled it to poetry below. “she covers her beloved eden
in a soft blanket
of moist cloud
a shelter from chilled winter”
beautiful imagery, all of it, but these lines really pulled me in.
Your writing really does stir the heart, as your byline promises, Rob. We visited Oregon and Washington last year on our travels and fell in love with the area. So beautiful.
I am pleased you enjoy my work VJ… 🙂
And yes our Northwest corner of the USA is quite beautiful. Moved here to Portland, Oregon from Ohio in 1990. Then to Seattle 3 years ago to enjoh watching our now 5-year-old grandson grow up. I prefer Oregon, but I prefer my grandson most!
That Velvet