Tuesday, November 4, 2014

"November"


November

November's a flamboyant dame,
flourishes rouged cheeks,
kisses with pouting lips.

A beauty crystalline -
her whispers rustle
beneath our feet,

frigid fingertips slide our spines
shiver quivering notes,
whose beaver moon

heralds a quickening pace -
callused palms, reddened nose,
one backward glance toward summer

before we burrow down
beneath grandmother's quilts
wearing hand-knitted woolen socks.

by Margaret Bednar, November 4, 2014


This is for "Imaginary Garden with Real Toads - Flash Fiction 55".  A poem or story in 55 words - no more, no less.

What does your early November look and feel like?

20 comments:

Susan said...

Love the move from flamboyant dame to jumping under the quilts. It moves so fast!

Anonymous said...

Sounds pretty nice. And lovely photo. Our November is already pretty chilly and I must confess that I wear wool socks all year through! A lovely poem thoigh-- especially I liked the description of the faces of November. K.

Kerry O'Connor said...

Your photos are perfect! What beautiful colours captured in visuals and words!

Kathryn Dyche said...

That last stanza made me smile so big.

Grandmother Mary said...

Lovely images and gorgeous photos. I love November as a flamboyant dame. Our days are still in the 60s but nights are cool.

Helen said...

November can be fickle .. warm one day, cold the next, then back for a few more days of Indian Summer. This is a lovely ode to November ~ in 55 words no less!

21 Wits said...

so far this November- love to remember. Your photo is proof of that!

Justin Lamb said...

Great tribute to the season change. I especially like "frigid fingertips slide our spines". That is exactly how the cold weather feels. Nicely done.

Maude Lynn said...

Oh, absolutely! I love the imagery, Margaret.

Yvonne Osborne said...

Great 55, from flamboyant dame to beaver moon and the last stanza is killer cool.

Nice to see you again. I've missed a lot of these folks.

Jim said...

Hunker down and get warm, Margaret. Your poet enjoyed the cool, leaf play and all but when she got cold, under the quilts she went. I enjoyed reading her so very much.

We've only had heat on for one night so far this year. Until the end of November we will use it sparingly. Both recliners have folded blanks (lap blankets) close.
..

Marian said...

this is wonderful! i really don't experience November this way, and appreciate the chance to.

Grace said...

I love the warmth of burrowing under the quilts and hand-knitted woolen socks ~ Perfect capture of November Margaret ~

kaykuala said...

beneath grandmother's quilts
wearing hand-knitted woolen socks

In preparation to winter's cold getting used to the warmth is heavenly. Great lines Marge!

Hank

Lisa Gordon said...

What a beautiful autumn poem this is, Margaret!

Anonymous said...

inspired personification of the month, Margaret ~

Stacy M.S. said...

love your personification of november through colors!

and thank god for the quilts and knitted socks. shew, i can't stand to freeze!

Brian Miller said...

very nice personification...she is such a sassy dame too...one day cold, the next day warm...and i love the colors of her dress...always changing...already got that quilt out...it was cold last weekend...

Other Mary said...

This is such a good description, Margaret. I especially like:

A beauty crystalline -
her whispers rustle
beneath our feet,

frigid fingertips slide our spines
shiver quivering notes,
whose beaver moon

humbird said...

Love the images of November, esp. 'frigid fingertips slide our spines' ~ it's winter already in MN. ~ x