Fourth Chapter, final in series of Sunset requests for Poet DeVine. Enjoy

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Sunshine

Administrator

Member Empyrean

since 1999-06-25

Posts 63354
Listening to every heart

0 posted 1999-07-09 10:47 PM

Fall Sunset - Chapter 4

What a time for birth and death. Fall calves
born for some. Winter harvest begun.
Summer morns cool and afternoons
hot hot hot. No more mugginess,
shorter afternoons.

The day starts once again. We haggle
over deciding if this is the best time of
year. Could be. Depends. Was spring and
summer OK? Was it bone dry? Was it too wet?
Did we have a choice either way? No.

But did we do OK with what was given us?
Husband’s in to grass management.
Move cows here for 30 days. There for 30 days.
Too hot for there, move back here so cool, soft
windmill pumped water can quench the throat
and fill the bellies. Let ‘em have all the pasture,
watch them go belly deep in the pond,
chase the frogs around. Leave the summer pasture
and check on the winter pasture.

Native grass. Kansas grass. Ground never turned over.
Virgin. Clean. Glistening. Indians and other things
were here. I’m here. You’re here.
Ice-cream grass seven foot high.
Covering my head. Enveloping. Thank God I’m
not totally claustrophobic. Look up past golden heads of
seed into blue, blue, blue.
One lone white cloud scutters by.

Short stem blue. Long stem blue.
Turkey foot grass. Turkey feathers.
Red Sumac. Late wildflowers, short and tall.
Will the grass be enough for fall? For all?
Winter feed in. Know, because hedge trees are
gold. Cottonwood too. Colors ranging from
yellow to red to orange to golden blazes.

Roundup. Dust. Long sleeved cowboys on bowed
legs with jittery horses ready to bring them up the
road. Calves sensing what? Cows knowing routine.
Cows come home to winter pasture.
Calves to market for fattening. McDonalds or Prime?
And the cowboys around some beer tell jokes better
if the wife of the husband of the ranch isn’t around.

So the wife, me, comes atop the hill, that one from spring,
and am enveloped in a whole other world, again.
The seasons are still a’changing
in the midwest
and no one sunset is ever the same.
Tonight the cooler air blows stronger, blowing
in the winter. Cottonwood leaves skittering
across the pasture, hitting across the grass stems,
scattering the seeds.

Look there, toward the west. Long shadows
making me a giant over God’s acre.
I’m a caretaker only.
To watch His golden light frame dark vertical clouds,
low in the sky
lowering a little more slowly
cows mooing, calling their babes all gone,
darkness coming,
coming,
slowly,
there.

------------------
Sunshine

Words will always express our feelings true.
KRJ

Poet deVine

Administrator

Member Seraphic

since 1999-05-26

Posts 22612
Hurricane Alley

1 posted 1999-07-09 11:57 PM

Incredible! So perfectly beautiful it hurts! I suggest you find some state or local publication and send these in!!!!!! Thank you so much for sharing a part of your world. You made it sound dreamlike and serene, tho I'm sure there's a lot of work involved. Brava!!!!!!

Poetwheel
Member

since 1999-07-07

Posts 208
Canada

2 posted 1999-07-10 12:02 PM

Amazing how you still show reverence in sights and sounds that would probably have become mundane for others. I think this speaks volumes for the type of aware and appreciative person you are. Of course, this all coming from a guy who writes about gravy salesman! But seriously, you have some hot talent!
PW

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Poetic Wheelbarrow

Sunshine

Administrator

Member Empyrean

since 1999-06-25

Posts 63354
Listening to every heart

3 posted 1999-07-10 07:22 AM

Thank you, DeVine and Wheel, especially DeVine, for the comments. Without the challenge, these 4 excerpts would not have come about.

On to more challenges.

------------------
Sunshine

Words will always express our feelings true.
KRJ

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