painting: “Winter Farmland” — by: Donald Shearer
In this moment, shrouded by evening in waning October, as autumn tumbles towards winter, one knows acutely the sorrow in the losing of the light. One feels the pressing weight of the ever growing darkness, the stir of grief occasioned by the advancing cold.
This is the time of endings, when the land falls dormant, empty. This is the barrenness of harvest or pestilence. This is death’s due vigil, when the realm is a’dance with specters. A reflective time when hearts long, with guarded hope, for rebirth.
There settles an all-consuming quiet, an absolute stillness. From this deep silence rises an almost imperceptible murmur, like a breathless whisper. A hushed prayer of gratitude, to give thanks for the harvest’s bounty, and a prayer to humbly petition, with the eventual return of the light, the blessing of fruitful new life upon the now fallow land.
rob kistner © 2019
You had me at /when the realm is a dance with specters/.
Grand and rich prose, excellent word-smithing. This is definitely a mood piece, and you know just how to set it.
It is also haunting as fallow and silence reign. We both used “harvest’s bounty”.
Thank you brother. This time of year accentuates my already inherent moodiness Glenn. Bounty and harvest go hand in glove for me, cliché though it may be.
This is beautiful Rob!
I am pleased it touched you Dwight, thank you! 🙂
This is a lovely reflection of gratitude and a hope for that seed to grow again in spring. I love this part: A reflective time when hearts long, with guarded hope, for rebirth.
Thank you Grace, I am pleased this touched you!
I love the opening paragraph, Rob, especially ‘shrouded by evening in waning October, as autumn tumbles towards winter’; and ‘From this deep silence rises an almost imperceptible murmur, like a breathless whisper. A hushed prayer of gratitude…’
Thank you Kim, I am pleased this resonated for you… 🙂
You have woven a rich tapestry here Rob!
Thank you Linda! 🙂
A beautiful message of hope, Rob. (I had trouble with this one, because ‘barrenness of harvest’ is an oxymoron in my book).
Thank you Bev! I agree this was an awkward prompt sentence. It was even awkward in the poem from which Björn extracted it. It is almost a contradiction within itself. In my poem “Harvest Prayer” I focused on the positive harvest essence of the sentence. In my “Specters” piece I drew more from the negative pestilence essence. Anyway, that was my approach, and why I wrote the brace of poems.
I love how you weaved the dread of darkness with the hope of rebirth to come… an excellent expansion of the quote that works so well building up for Thanksgiving
I felt a bit of yin & yang worked well here Björn.
Smooth words, very reflective for the season!
Thank you Astrid! 🙂
This is beautiful and so beautifully written, Rob. It soars.
Thank you so much Merril, I am pleased this touched! 🙂
“This is death’s due vigil, when the realm is a’dance with specters.”
Wonderful language and imagery in this, Rob. Excellent piece of writing.
Thank you Sara. It means a lot to me that you say that. We never know how long we will be able to write. It is nice to have friends to share wuth! Helps keep me alive… 🙂