*
late autumn places
a universe in my hands
a cup of hot tea
*
last night’s brown-crisped leaves
scudding down the cul-de-sac
autumn’s dry rain stick
*
the right to silence
after hectic winds disrupt
the first daffodils
*
through a telescope
the ragged mountain range shrinks –
twin peaks, scrub pine, shade
*
robins stethoscope
the lawn, earthworms hold their breath
spring battles begin
*
a hummingbird dines
on orange Crocosmia
I close my notebook
Carolyn Martin is blissfully retired in Clackamas, OR, where she gardens, writes, and plays with creative friends. Her poems appear in publications throughout North America and the UK including Stirring, CALYX, Persimmon Tree, How Higher Education Feels, and Antiphon. Her third poetry collection, Thin Places, was released by Kelsay Books in 2017.