Autumn Mirth

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Digging 2

To-day I think
Only with scents, - scents dead leaves yield,
And bracken, and wild carrot's seed,
And the square mustard field;

Odours that rise
When the spade wounds the root of tree,
Rose, currant, raspberry, or goutweed,
Rhubarb or celery;

The smoke's smell, too,
Flowing from where a bonfire burns
The dead, the waste, the dangerous,
And all to sweetness turns.

It is enough
To smell, to crumble the dark earth,
While the robin sings over again
Sad songs of Autumn mirth.

 

by Edward Thomas

 

This afternoon was warm and sunny, so I've been working in the garden, pruning, weeding and planting. It seemed appropriate therefore to include Edward Thomas's evocative poem for you to savour. Click here to discover more about this poem and the poet. 

Today also marked the Autumn Equinox. That is the moment when the Sun crosses the celestial equator and neither hemisphere is tilted towards or away from the Sun, meaning day and night are roughly equal in length across the world. So, we say goodbye to summer and welcome autumn. Click here to find out more.

 

Writing prompts:

• Write about what you need to say goodbye to and what you would like to welcome in. 
• There are many poems about autumn and you can find some here. Now try writing your own autumn poem.
• Go outside into your garden, or for a walk in nature, then come home and write about what you saw, smelt, heard and felt.