S eptember, the gateway to autumn here in the Pacific Northwest, is a warm and pleasant time of anticipation. It finds nature awaiting its period of recovery and renewal. The flowering plants have dropped, or are dropping their petals. The grasses and brush, gone late-summer golden, anticipate the approaching nurturing rains. Mighty evergreens pause, and deciduous trees, catching afire in their September splendor, soon will shed their leaves — all then going dormant to rest. The vast Northwest forests will be entering a period of rejuvenation. September sees this realm in its full glory.
September embraces the lush vineyards, and berry thickets, that roam the fertile rolling hills, heavy with grape and berry, making ready for the harvest, when this wine country comes alive with industry. The apple, peach and pear orchards are laden with the final fruits of the season, so September picking is busy gathering this sweet bounty.
September sees wild nature exhale deeply, at peace in its final moments of calm and relaxation, preparing for the bustle and flux of autumn. Streams, whose water levels have dropped considerably, will come to new life when autumn rains begin to replenish their flow. Sockeye and Chinook salmon start their run upstream to begin their spawn. Rainbow, Brook, German Brown, and Cutthroat Trout,
as well as numerous other species become active as waters rise and cool. Bear, deer, cougar, elk, coyote, big horn sheep, pronghorn antelope, hawk, osprey, eagle; the varied and plentiful wildlife of our region are near to begin preparation for their unique winter rituals.
Warm September relaxes, preparing to step through autumn’s portal. Soon this realm will begin to cool, slowly nudged into winter, a peaceful time of full rest and restoration here in this breathtakingly beautiful region. A regenerative calm lies upon the lush land, as the season of sky-water soon will arrive to quench nature’s thirst, and revivify her energies. In the meantime, September stretches, gathering its strength.
autumn steps boldly forward
september watches
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rob kistner © 2022
More poetry at: dVerse
You have captured the beauty, bounty and calmness of this month. We saw the salmon run in the river last weekend – the fishermen were busy.
Thank you Grace. It’s that time of year… 🙂
You paint a beautiful picture, Rob.
Thank you Ken… 🙂
Thanks for the blast of Van the Man, Rob. Yes September is the gateway to autumn. What a wonderful feeling of a fruitful harvest you’ve created in your haibun!
First, you are welcome for my including The Man, The Myth, The Mad Music Maker — love that Irish maniac – Sir George Ivan Morrison! He is among my hand full of beloved musical geniuses. September is the most beautiful time of the year here in PacNW — and that includes British Columbia into Alaska. It is glorious, and it breaks my heart that my fucking failing health so cruelly blocks the exploration of the wilderness of this realm that I so enjoyed — but at least I am still alive in the heart of the 765,000 square mile kingdom that is Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Idaho, and Montana – so I drink in the dnergy of its wilderness regions.
You’re lucky to have such an abundance of wildlife. Don’t let them destroy it.
With all I can muster, I will rail and rally to see that this corner of the world remains as wild as possible. It would be ideal if there were fewer people — but the gate is sadly already open. A monumental effort was made to discourage people with the myth of unending rain, but even the cat is out of tye bag on that maneuver to discourage people from coming. Oh well, long as they keep the place weird and wild — they will be, like I was, tolerated.
A glorious haibun Rob, you have captured the seasonal changes so well with your words and your photographs of these magical landscapes are truly amazing!
Thank you Xenia, how very kind and generous of you. These in this posting were found photos, which I digitally cropped, photoshopped, and collaged for maximum impact.
The personification of September works really well, Rob, adds another layer of piquancy to the haibun, its adept handling of man and nature’s activity in tandem. Enjoyed this peek into your neck of the woods.
It’s a wonderful neck of the woods Dora… 🙂
THIS is the way a beautifully composed Haibun should read! Plus, truer words were never shared about our Pacific Northwest Autumns. Cheers, Rob. Take care.
Thank you Helen? I love our little paradise here. The only thing that impedes its perfection, are the handful of assholes that abide here in utopia. But we are just too kind to run them out! 🙂
I too relish this time as restful and restorative! moans of death and dying are never listened to. Beautiful Haibun!
We all need a respite time to time Susan, to remain sane, in order to be a contributor to spaceship earth.
Rob, you’ve personified September so well, with obvious knowledge of the terrain and deep appreciation for its beauty. I think I would visit for the wine alone…..but there would be much to explore in this wonderland. Was in BC as a teenager but barely remember. Hoping to do that trip some day.
Thank you Mish. It is beautiful here, if you love the natural world, you would love it… 🙂
Rob, your imagery is stunning. Thanks for the lovely adventure seen through your eyes. ????
Thank you Colleen — snd you are welcome… 😉
Rob, I have no idea where the question marks came from. Sorry, friend.
Sorry Colleen — it is my site, it is so old it does not recognize emojis. However, that said… : + ( = 🙁 while : + ) = 🙂 or ; + ) = 😉 and : + | = 😐
I love they way you describe that transition from summer into fall.
Thank you Bjorn… 🙂
I know you struggle to get out to the lush wilderness Rob mate, but it is in you, deep in you, as I read, wonderful writing.
Thank you so much Ain… 🙂 Wilderness lives vividly within me, my woken memory, occupying my every sense, except touch now — and that is the one I most miss. My wife and son and I, when we are able, drive from paved to gravel, and then to dirt road, carefully following Cascade Mountain logging roads, going as deep into wild nature as possible. On these trips I drink deeply 4 of my 5 senses, including taste, because I can taste the conifer and loam spores. I am especially exhilarated by the amazing bouquet of wild fragrances: cedar leaves, green sword ferns, rhododendron, forest mushrooms, beebalm, myrtle, wildflowers, oakmoss, black spruce, balsam fir, Port Orford Cedar, loam, etc., also the healthy pungency of natural decomposition — so wonderfully heady… makes me swoon! 🙂 But I can’t feel the velvet softness of the forest floor, that an old growth forest lays down natural, nor the change of texture underfoot, when one trods to dirt pack — nor can I hear the resonance from the earth as we pass across root chambers. Neither can I feel the soft sweff-sweff-sweff across my jeans and jacket, as we pass through waist-high, forest floor fern, the same fern that was there in prehistoric time. God I miss the intimacy with all of this — so much. 🙁
“September sees wild nature exhale deeply, at peace in its final moments of calm and relaxation, preparing for the bustle and flux of autumn.”
A painting of words!
Thank you Sara. That is my favorite thing, to create atmospheric environment. 🙂