The Poetry of Place: 17 October 2014

   "Follow the yellow leaf road!"  The pine needles and leaves displaced by the heavy rain storm the day before seemed to glow in the late morning light creating a golden meandering path along the shore of the pond.

   I sat on a rock just enjoying the warm morning when a rustle in the leaves to my right caught my attention.  A small chipmunk, absorbed in his acorn gathering, was completely unaware of by presence until I turned.  With a squeak of protest, he was off.  All the birds and animals are frantic with winter preparation, not basking in the warm sun like me.  They know better to laze about at this time of year!

   Leaves continue to gently fall around me and there is the occasionally "plop" of an acorn diving into the pond.  Those acorns will never feed a squirrel or start a new tree but they also have a role to play.  They will enrich the pond's bottom for fish and turtles and next year's water lilies.  In Nature, even the smallest and humblest thing has its purpose and I too am joining in that purpose.  Recording the unique poetry of this place and entering into a co-conspiracy with the pond, I hope that I will add in a small way to the understanding of this natural landscape and inspire others to find their own "Walden".