The Signature Mark of Autumn

Art by Vicky Brago-Mitchell

The Signature Mark of Autumn

The signature mark of autumn
has arrived at last with the rains:
orange of pumpkin, orange persimmon,
orange lichen on rocks and fallen logs;
a copper moon hung low over the orchard;
moist, ruddy limbs of the madrone, russet
oak leaf, storm-peeled redwood, acorns emptied
by squirrels and jays; and mushrooms,
orange boletes, Witch's Butter sprouting
on rotted oak, the Deadly Galeria, and of course,
chanterelles, which we'll eat tonight with pasta,
goat cheese, and wine.

Gary Young

Posted over on the Writer's Almanac
"The Signature Mark of Autumn" by Gary Young, from Pleasure. © Heyday Books, 2006.