we stay out talking
until chased in by mosquitoes —
early autumn nights

a family of deer
stand quietly watching me —
I borrow stillness

they saw a fox once
but was it red, or grey? —
flickering memory

fallow season —
we think about cover crops
and wintering over

how we celebrate
when the evening air
turns cool again!

more than the old blanket
she wants her mother's hands
smoothing it out

even the creek
a little quieter now
as the days shorten

funeral planning —

she wonders whether her dress

seems sad enough

underfoot
the crunch and roll of acorns —
a rabbit looks up

getting up at first light
to make sure it's still there —
mid-autumn moon