Autumn Clear
Autumn clear,
chipmunk and I,
with dusking near,
sat eye to eye.
It on wind snap,
me on my stand,
with pad in lap
and pen in hand.
Both frozen still,
without a blink.
Quite long, I think,
prolonged until…
Did broken glance
or tiny twitch
the spell unstitch
and break our trance?
‘Twas it or me
caused it to flee?
How could I know
which one was so?
Think I to blame.
I let it lay.
As clear blurred gray,
deep shadows came.
The gift of woods
to watch and wait,
no bad or good—
no pending fates.
With end of light
and coming night,
such inner calm—
my autumn’s balm.
….
This poem is from the chapbook The Woods ~ Trails & Tangents by Stan Winarski (Finishing Line Press), and can be found at https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/the-woods-trails-tangents-by-stan-winarski/
Stan Winarski’s poetry has appeared in Solitary Plover, Bramble, The Wisconsin Fellowship of Poets Calendars, and as spoken word on WDRT FM’s The Landward Series. A finalist of Finishing Line Press’s 2025 Chapbook Contest, he is now retired and lives in Metro Milwaukee, Wisconsin with his wife, Mary Kay, and has two adult children.
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