Coming
Home at Twilight in Late Summer
Jane Kenyon
We turned into the drive,
and gravel flew up from the tires
like sparks from a fire. So much
to be done—the unpacking, the mail
and papers ... the grass needed mowing ....
We climbed stiffly out of the car.
The shut-off engine ticked as it cooled.
And then we noticed the pear tree,
the limbs so heavy with fruit
they nearly touched the ground.
We went out to the meadow; our steps
made black holes in the grass;
and we each took a pear,
and ate, and were grateful.
After a quick turnaround, my family and I went from several weeks of travel to ten days of vacation. In Canada, the birds outside woke me on many mornings -- loons, geese, ducks, mourning doves. One morning, our boat happened upon a flock of thousands of shore birds which took flight in our presence. I understood deeply what Heather Lende wrote:
I read both of Heather Lende's memoirs while vacationing, If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name and Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs. I recommend both for their insight into spirituality and humanity as well as life in Alaska. They were thought provoking and reflective which was just what I needed to rejuvenate.
Upon return, Jane Kenyon's poem rang true. Life piled up high and thick while we were gone, but hints of autumn are in the air, and my love affair with the season continues. The earth is laden with fruit for the soul these days. I am reminded to soak it all in as nourishment for the winter days ahead.
In short order, I had to refill the bird feeder that hangs suspended from the evergreen and provides endless entertainment and joy for me and Freddy, our cat who dreams of the chase from his cat tree. In the process, I could not help but notice that at NOLD the late summer blooms of yellow are giving way to the first bits of autumn red, and I, too, am grateful.
and gravel flew up from the tires
like sparks from a fire. So much
to be done—the unpacking, the mail
and papers ... the grass needed mowing ....
We climbed stiffly out of the car.
The shut-off engine ticked as it cooled.
And then we noticed the pear tree,
the limbs so heavy with fruit
they nearly touched the ground.
We went out to the meadow; our steps
made black holes in the grass;
and we each took a pear,
and ate, and were grateful.
After a quick turnaround, my family and I went from several weeks of travel to ten days of vacation. In Canada, the birds outside woke me on many mornings -- loons, geese, ducks, mourning doves. One morning, our boat happened upon a flock of thousands of shore birds which took flight in our presence. I understood deeply what Heather Lende wrote:
This is what Emerson must have had in mind when he wrote that “the proper response to the world is applause.” (164) Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs
I read both of Heather Lende's memoirs while vacationing, If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name and Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs. I recommend both for their insight into spirituality and humanity as well as life in Alaska. They were thought provoking and reflective which was just what I needed to rejuvenate.
Upon return, Jane Kenyon's poem rang true. Life piled up high and thick while we were gone, but hints of autumn are in the air, and my love affair with the season continues. The earth is laden with fruit for the soul these days. I am reminded to soak it all in as nourishment for the winter days ahead.
In short order, I had to refill the bird feeder that hangs suspended from the evergreen and provides endless entertainment and joy for me and Freddy, our cat who dreams of the chase from his cat tree. In the process, I could not help but notice that at NOLD the late summer blooms of yellow are giving way to the first bits of autumn red, and I, too, am grateful.
