*And Other Equal Opportunity Conversations with God. Yet you’ll see in the excerpted poem below that the narrator is grateful to the Lord, a specifically masculine term for the Almighty which was standard language then. In the text of many newer prayer books, such gender-specific terms have been replaced with neutral ones: God or Eternal One for Lord, Sovereign for King.
Times have certainly changed. The toddler mentioned
in “October” is a woman now with her own daughter, a
little girl who will grow up with far more opportunities than were open to her
grandmother or even to her mom. I cheer for that change, even as I feel
nostalgia for some of what once was.
Midlife and, for me, autumn are times for reflection. “October”
evokes a young family on a crisp fall day set in a moment long past, but —in the
turning of the leaves, the slant of burnished sunlight, the yielding but
unending cycle of seasons— also something miraculously eternal. ~*~
Thank You for yesterday, Lord.
For the
crisp October morning with air so still it left leaves undisturbed on the trees
and, consequently, for the elegant angle of rake against carport, my favorite
fall composition.
Thank You
for breakfast eggs that didn’t split their yolks before reaching my husband’s plate,
for apple cider that surprised the palate and inspired meditation on the wondrous
ways You work through nature, and for the State Energy Commission that refused a
nine percent rate hike to the gas and electric company. We may just be able to
heat this barn of a kitchen through winter without sacrificing our daughter’s
college education.
Thank You
for that child’s two-hour nap as the shadows lengthened, for my own hour of
sleep and the splendid way I was awaked. For my husband’s surge of autumn
energy which moved him to clean closets, repair faucets, and brew vegetable
soup among other excellent activities.
Thank You for
the cat’s nuzzling as the wind stirred toward evening and for her gift which,
though I would not have chosen it for myself preferring roses laid at my feet
to supine small animals of indeterminate origin, was, nonetheless, well meant
and offered lovingly.
Thank You
for yesterday, Lord.
For all the glorious
moments, and for the final toddler tantrum before bedtime because letting go
of beauty is harder than leaving disappointment behind. Thank You for the flaw
in this otherwise perfect day which reminds me that perfection is illusion and
happiness condition, swift as season’s shifting but as sure in its repeating.
Toby Devens
Autumn is a time for reflection for me too. With my kids going back to school,one in college, another a senior in high school, and revving up after summer's easier pace, I feel it's a new year. (NOT January but September or October). So time to look back on the old one. Funny, it's when I usually go on my annual diet! So I understand where you're coming from. And the poem touched me.
ReplyDeleteYes, thank you that I can still keep up my writing career!
ReplyDeleteLacey, I feel the same thing. I think it has to do with childhood and starting school. New shoes, new teacher, new beginnings.
ReplyDeleteYes, Rebecca, I'm with you on that. Am very grateful to a higher power for the ability to keep writing books that others want to read. I believe our work gets richer and stronger with more experience and we're really hitting our stride about now.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your poem, Toby. This Fall I'm thankful for having an amazing grandson, wonderful sons, and loving daughter-in-laws. And for a husband who was able to find what was chirping in my house yesterday--turned out to be a water detector--don't know what that is, but grateful it's stopped driving me crazy.
ReplyDeleteSo share your thinking that though the changes have mostly been for the good, feelings of nostalgic for the past still crop up. Nothing like the sad remains of a bird or mouse from a loving cat to brighten one's day is there!?
ReplyDeleteSorry, but in the past ten years, I've grown to dislike fall intensely. When losses seem to hit as the leaves fall, it creates inevitable negative associations. As the weather moves to the cold range, I just want to curl up with a blanket and an endless supply of tea.
ReplyDeleteA moving prayer/poem, Toby. I'm usually ambivalent about Fall, since it throws in the towel when winter nudges it aside and I am not a winter person. Fortunately, the palette of deep scarlets, burnt oranges and cocoa browns make up for a lot. I've especially come to appreciate it more thanks to a brother in Hawaii, a place both he and I love. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, he says the only thing he misses is autumn and always requests photos of the change in colors. So I'm warming up to the season. And you've helped.
ReplyDeleteChange always seems to contain both positive and negative aspects, Nancy. Progress has given us gifts. On the other hand...
ReplyDeleteFor example: our ability to communicate has been enhanced by cellphones, iPads, Facebook and the like, but have we sacrificed our mindfulness of the real world for what's coming through our earphones or appearing on the screen? Kids are more informed than they were when I was a child, but they're also being exposed to material that grows them up very quickly and I'm not sure that's a good thing. And I have moments of personal nostalgia--for times with my parents, for example--while being grateful for the marvelous new generation.
I'm a warm weather person myself, Pearl, so I empathize. Fall is gorgeous, but those falling leaves do symbolize loss and endings to many. For me, the crisp air and the surge of energy after summer's easier pace signals new beginnings. And cocoa--fortified with a shot of brandy--sipped by the fire, helps too.
ReplyDeleteDoes Hawaii experience its own version of fall, Chassie? Is there a change in the foliage, or does it remain consistently lush and green throughout autumn and winter? My parents retired to California and I visited them in autumn a number of times. And, yes, there was a subtle change in the environment--nothing like New England's flaming fall or even Maryland's autumn dress, but you could see and feel a new season.
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