The Fall Of An Acorn

—Anonymous Photo

PLEASANT SOUNDS
—John Clare (1793-1864)

The rustling of leaves under the feet in woods and under
 

     hedges;

The crumpling of cat-ice and snow down wood-rides,
      

     narrow lanes and every street causeway;


Rustling through a wood or rather rushing, while the wind
      

     halloos in the oak-toop like thunder;


The rustle of birds' wings startled from their nests or flying
      

     unseen into the bushes;


The whizzing of larger birds overhead in a wood, such as
       

     crows, puddocks, buzzards;


The trample of robins and woodlarks on the brown leaves.
      

     and the patter of squirrels on the green moss;


The fall of an acorn on the ground, the pattering of nuts on 
      

     the hazel branches as they fall from ripeness;


The flirt of the groundlark's wing from the stubbles—
       

     how sweet such pictures on dewy mornings, when the


dew flashes from its brown feathers.

__________________

Today at 1pm, Poetry of the Sierra Foothills presents Adam Soldofsky, Alamgir Hashmi plus open mic at Caffé Santoro in Diamond Springs, 493 Pleasant Valley Road. And at 2pm, Davis Arts Center Poetry Series will be featuring Mischa Kuszynski plus open mic at Davis Arts Center on F Street in Davis. Scroll down to the blue column (under the green column at the right) for info about these and other upcoming poetry events in our area—and note that more may be added at the last minute.

For more about John Clare, go to www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/john-clare/.

—Medusa, celebrating the poetry of autumn sounds ~

Photos in this column can be enlarged by
clicking on them once, then clicking on the x
in the top right corner to come back to Medusa.