waning harvest moon

even as she begins to wane from full

harvest moon sheds glow brighter

than cool over the lawn

as though first winter snow had spread

a patchwork quilt of and dark

reflected moonlight and shadow

as she filters her gift through naked

and still-leafed branches

rich tone painting

green parading in nature as a multitude

tints, hues, opacities, intensities

pigments, stains, tinctures from near yellow

chartreuse, citron, pistachio, smalt, terre-verte

to glistenings of aqua, azure, woad, indigo, zaffer

each tree its own patterns of shadow

and brilliance, each blade of grass

a whisper that dares to join the chorus

of field, meadow, link or lawn

to name them all – impossible, but

oh, the fun of trying!

emerald, olive, avocado, jade, lime, bottle, sea…

knowing the pulse

driving by trees thinking of changing to autumn attire

reaching the coast watching waves eternal rhythmic nibbling at the shore

knowing the pulse of life

i seldom slow enough to feel

                        mjNordgren  9/25/2022  N