It's surprisingly difficult to find a good autumn poem...

Autumn

by Grace Paley

1

What is sometimes called a

tongue of flame

or an arm extended burning

is only the long

red and orange branch of

a green maple

in early September reaching

into the greenest field

out of the green woods at the

edge of which the birch trees

appear a little tattered tired

of sustaining delicacy

all through the hot summer re-

minding everyone (in

our family) of a Russian

song a story

by Chekhov or my father

2

What is sometimes called a

tongue of flame

or an arm extended burning

is only the long

red and orange branch of

a green maple

in early September reaching

into the greenest field

out of the green woods at the

edge of which the birch trees

appear a little tattered tired

of sustaining delicacy

all through the hot summer re-

minding everyone (in

our family) of a Russian

song a story by

Chekhov or my father on

his own lawn standing

beside his own wood in

the United States of

America saying (in Russian)

this birch is a lovely

tree but among the others

somehow superficial

Grace Paley, “Autumn” from Long Walks and Intimate Talks by Grace Paley and Vera B. Williams. Copyright © 1991 by Grace Paley. Reprinted with the permission of The Feminist Press at the City University of New York, www.feministpress.org.

Source: Begin Again: The Collected Poems of Grace Paley (1999)

fall looks good on me

i'm having a lovely day. today is one of those calm, wonderful days when i'm confident about myself, my life, and everything that goes with it. i say fall looks good on me because, well, it does! today i'm wearing brown tights with flat brown boots that have buckles and lace up to just below my knees. a short frayed jean skirt. a tan vneck light sweater that is low enough to show my white tshirt with the camp logo on it. my olive green pashmina scarf from london. and i walked around carrying my dark green barnes and noble tote bag with literature quotes on it. i think i look good in earthy tones, and i feel pretty good about this artsy, eclectic outfit i put together today. fall looks (and feels!) good on me.

i slept in a bit this morning (which was NOT in the plan) but i forced myself to get dressed and walk down the street to a cafe called "the perfect cup." i passed a few other cafes on the way, but i chose this one because it looked cute, and it's close to the el stop and in an area with more foot traffic. i wanted to be somewhere crowded with activity. after spending a few hours there, i love this cafe. it's cozy, dark bold painted walls, thick crown molding, art on the walls, bookshelves, a few cozy chairs and couches. the coffee and scones were great. the ONLY downside is, no free wireless. this was good for me today, because i managed to focus on my students' essays without the distraction of the computer. but i'm sure there will be days in the future when a laptop is necessary and i'll need to visit a cafe with a less fabulous vibe. ah well. or i could just pay for the internet there.

i think this was the most productive 3.5 hours i've had since the semester started. AND i was really pleased with my students' work! overall good sentence structure and well written essays. not all a's, by any means, and a few people missed a huge requirement of the assignment. but i'm hopeful that the rest of the essays for the class will be good as well. i should have all a writers by the end of the semester!

this weather is truly lovely. i wish the leaves would change colors already though! i'm a little afraid they will just die and fall off before giving me a decorative show. such is life in chicago. how are the leaves in michigan, friends? maybe i'm due for a visit...

i'm sitting outside on my porch now enjoying the cool air. i know i always say i love summer and tank tops, but i think it's a lie. i REALLY love scarves and sweaters and this time when it's nice to be outside but not cold yet. i'm not looking forward to cold. if i had a dog, now is when i'd be taking him for long walks everyday. i know it's not practical to think about. i'm much too busy to take proper care of a dog. plus my building doesn't allow them, and i just painted and have every intention of staying here at LEAST 2 years (if not a little longer). but i have two big goals. well, three i guess, because the last two depend on the first. #1 to get a full time teaching job and stop this 3 job nonsense (although i do love all 3 jobs right now). #2 to buy a new car before stanley kicks the bucket. which should be several more years. #3 to get a dog. and name him jack. :)

a change gonna come

i actually updated my space today. new layout, photos, text. crazy. i like to do a little rehaul now and then. comes with the changing seasons. new wall colors, new haircut, new jeans (a size smaller!), new myspace, new clinique products, new candles on the mantle, new shampoo, new lease on life.

i feel like i JUST made all these major life changes at the beginning of the summer. new jobs, new apartment, new city, new new new. i DID JUST make all these changes. it's like everything before june 1st was some alternate life i once lead. and i'm happy with the way my life is going. it's just still not quite complete. i spend too much time curled up in a leather chair watching tv. there are people and experiences waiting for me all over chicago (and all over the world!) and i just need to figure out how to find myself in this big city. there's just so much, sometimes it makes me feel so little.

(i didn't intend to get all philosophical and weird. i feel like my last few posts have ended far from where i intended. i really just meant to say... i updated my space.)

things i like about autumn

sleeping with the windows open... hooded sweatshirts... the smell of burning wood... scarves... sleeping with the covers on... boots... hot chai tea... waking up to a cool breeze and trees outside my bedside window... curling up in my leather recliner with blankets... shades of brown and orange and olive... pumpkins and apples... puffy vests... the first colored leaves...