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Thursday, November 12, 2020

Inspired by Autumn Morning "Awe Walks"

In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous. - Aristotle

I hear the call of morning in the woods.

Autumn morning sweeps into daylight.
Breathes in crispcool freshness.
Dialogues whimsically with Nature.
Turns to awaken a weary world.


At ocean's edge, baby gulls test their skills,
Fly into a watchful October sky
And dip into glistening waters
Of diamondsparkle seafoam.


A lone tree bedecked in russet
Lays a blanket of crunchable leaves.
Waiting for schoolyard childrens'
giant leap into autumn majesty.


I wander through Autumn mornings connected in silence with nature. Awestruck with earth's goldleaf colors, I feel the warmth of September-in-November-joy.
©CV, 2020, Long Island, NY

πŸπŸƒπŸ‚
Intrigued by the appeal of an aubade, a poetic format that appeared on Linda Mitchell's blog as a challenge for her fellow Sunday Swaggers. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary explains this form as a song or poem greeting dawn; a morning love song; a song or poem of lovers parting at dawn. I chose to write my first aubade as a morning love song.
πŸπŸƒπŸ‚
Lord Bryon sums up an intense love of nature in his poem:

There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society where none intrudes,
By the sea and music in its roar:
I love not man less, but nature more.
πŸπŸƒπŸ‚

Lately, I have spent many days taking awe walks, soaking in the intensity of autumn while trying to make sense of a pandemic upside-down life. Awe walks are simple antidotes for stress. They allow me to shift my attention outward instead of inward leading to a feeling of well-being. Another way for me to achieve a sense of balance (my one word) is to join the Poetry Friday Roundup each week. This week, Robyn Hood Black is hosting, at her website, Life on the Deckle Edge. Robyn's post is full of poetic goodness. As one of the stops on the HOP TO IT Blog Tour of Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong's new poetry anthology, Robyn shares her enthusiasm for the book and her own children's poem published in the anthology. Robyn also provides congratulary remarks for fellow poets' new books .

30 comments:

  1. I totally get your need for awe walks, Carol. I find myself looking for joy. For the same reasons. To be honest, I am so thankful for the way Australia has weathered the pandemic. But still, there have been big changes. I am missing the face-to-face side of author visits. (My last face-to-face author event was at NCTE last year! No wonder I'm missing it.) Not complaining, because I have much to be thankful for - but missing it just the same.

    A lone tree bedecked in russet
    Lays a blanket of crunchable leaves

    🧑Delightful!πŸ‚

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    1. Kat, now that the pandemic is rearing its ugly head again back in NY, people are feeling more confined & isolated. Writing is a huge gift. It's raining this morning but I am hoping an awe walk will be part of my day. Outside my window I see a blanket of brilliant leaves-wet but lovely.

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  2. I just love your tributes in verse to autumn and the sound of the ocean in your video. I'm been noting, as I'm sure your are, how the colors and changing, becoming more rust and deeper gold.

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    1. The colors of fall are richer in depth of color this year down here, Janice. I always love autumn in Central New York but this year when nature is full, traveling is limited but there are many more autumns in life.

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  3. I have a new focus when I walk through "a blanket of crunchable leaves": 'awe walks'! Love it! Thanks for your soothing spirit, Carol. :)

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    1. The leaves were in piles along the street during my "awe walk" today as if waiting for passersby to crunch them, Bridget.

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  4. Hi, Carol. Daily walks (with my son) are part of my pandemic routine too. I love the idea of an "awe walk." Your baby gull aubade is filled with sensory images that caught my attention. I could picture the scene and feel awe with you.

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    1. Laura, I am glad that you have a walking partner that appreciate nature. The pandemic routine is stiffling if we do not find outlets. The baby gulls were so lively at the beach when I took this video. They must have been waiting for me to capture their first flight because the other day the whole community of seagulls were resting on the sand a good distance away from the shore.

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  5. It's warming up here again, Carol, & many leaves have fallen, though not all. Ignoring all the chaos of our times when walking on an autumn morning has meant much to me these many months. Thanks for your beautiful capturing of all this glory! Happy Weekend, too!

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    1. Linda, thinking of the word chaos, I wonder if I go out today and crunch some leaves, I can allow nature to squash the discordance. May your Denver fall day bring you solace and happiness.

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  6. The sights and sounds of the shore were heavenly. What a gift. Thank you. I like that you take awe walks. I took a lunch walk this week just to get up and out of my chair. I didn't walk fast...but I enjoyed the crunchy leaves and the blue sky. Autumn has so much to say to us. Lovely post.

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    1. Thank you, Linda. I am closing on the Gainesville house on December 18th. I am looking forward to a new locations for awe walks. I am gong to miss the shore. Enjoy your weekend.

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  7. Such breathtaking beauty you capture in words, Carol - autumn morning, diamondsparkle seafoam, and my favorite - the crunchable leaves waiting for children. I was thinking on writing an aubade when it turned into more of an ode to trees and how they communicate - so I wrote around the word "abide" instead. Thank you for the always-glorious gift of your words around love of nature.

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    1. Fran, aubade, abide-they both speak to the exquisite capturing of nature in its splendor. The love of nature is what keeps me in a state of awe feeling positive. Have a wonderful Sunday, Fran. The weather is darkening with a threat of rain but I still found delight in today's awe walk.

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  8. What everyone else said, plus I love your word play with "crispcool" and "diamondsparkle!"

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    1. Off to play with words under a stilledsky radiating with wonder, Mary Lee.

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  9. Carol, fall is by far my favorite season, and your words and art capture its beauty perfectly.

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    1. Kimberly, thanks for sharing my autumn joy with me. Have a great fall weekend. The sun is shining and we are off for errands and an "awe walk:.

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  10. I love the idea of "awe" walks. Such beautiful thoughts, Carol. Thank you. "Autumn morning sweeps into daylight" pulled me right in.

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  11. Replies
    1. Ruth, I do appreciate your comments because when I write many times I am in the zone. But then again, I need feedback that allows me to respond to what I write and how to move from poem to poem with ease (and not writer's block like I am experiencing tonight).

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  12. Thanks for another beautiful autumn post. Love tagging along with you on your awe-walks. The ocean video is so soothing.

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    1. Jama, thank you for joining me here for another one of my autumn walks. May you find the joys in nature this week.

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  13. If you're a morning person, the idea of an aubade offers a lot of mileage. You are right to take advantage of all the places to awe-walk!

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    1. Today, the sky took on a grayness. People were layered during my "awe walk", Heidi. It was a new look for the sky, a foreboding of an approaching storm but I found peace in what I saw.

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  14. I feel like I'm on an awe-walk every time I visit your blog, Carol! There's always so much natural beauty to appreciate here.

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    1. Michelle, that is such a nice comment that makes me feel happy. I like to think that my galleries are happy places for gallery walks and the blogs are pathways to the end.

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  15. Michelle said it! Such a beautiful treasure here, always, and this week's paintings and words and spirit are calming and glorious. Sending you every wish for safety and health.

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    1. Thank you, Robyn, for stepping into my "awe walk" delight from this week's wanderings. I appreciate your wish for safety and health as well. I am humbled by your thoughts.

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