This poem, which I memorized as a child, keeps popping into my head these days. I have always loved it for its idyllic portrait of a more innocent time. These days, we witness horrific wildfires devasting wide areas of Washington State, Oregon and California – not to mention the metaphorical wildfires of COVID-19 and the US election. Rereading Stevenson’s poem brings me a sense of peace and hope for a better tomorrow not just in my garden but in the world at large. Autumn Fires by Robert Louis Stevenson In the other gardens And all up the vale, From the autumn bonfires See the smoke trail! Pleasant summer over And all the summer flowers, The red fire blazes, The grey smoke towers. Sing a song of seasons! Something bright in all! Flowers in the summer, Fires in the fall!
Crossing the Atlantic from the eastern Pacific Ocean (not often I think of it that way !) ... aka Pac NW of continent NAm I love the old Flower Fairies books I have a now long-gone relative’s copy circa late 1930’s ... this one book incorporates all four seasons ... and obviously Brit UK plants, often of road side, field, and stream. I will have to find it on the shelf to choose an autumn illustration. Then again, Thelwell version of autumn is a treasure too. I also like the old time children book called Harold Hare’s Garden Party ... same scenario could well apply to our climate here in BC. ——- ÉDIT - just looking at an online archive for Flower Fairies - and do we not have all of these in SW BC? And down to Oregon? The Fairies of The Autumn Archives - Flower Fairies
Now for American side - one we all learned in school - Pac NW both sides of border - Robert Frost - poet at Kennedy administration inauguration - POEM: After apple picking After Apple Picking by Robert Frost : The Poetry Foundation [poem] : Find Poems and Poets. Discover Poetry. I know some of us were taught the depressive side of his poetry - which i understand ... tho I tend to see them as words that make paintings — peaceful. They speak of times when we are on our own (alone but not lonely) and we pause to observe the poetic aspect of a simple task or the simple peacefulness of nature — like bee on flower busy gathering nourishment ... or seeing the progression of leaf buds in spring.
@Georgia Strait and @Margot you two are bringing back so many lovely memories for us and even recent ones with our granddaughters. Fairies, Autumn apple picking and the bonfires with all the chestnuts and baked potatoes that go with it in Autumn. Getting quite emotional here, Lol. Thankyou both!!
