We watched the fog
come in over the hills
and then swallow them.
We saw how it banked around
to fill the valley in. It took the fields,
but not the closest trees,
and then, itself, was swallowed by the dark.
©Wendy Mulhern
November 17, 2023
Day moon dives into clouds
after a long night of brightness –
cuddly blanket after dawn
Warmth sleeps in, but rises before noon,
and the day slowly becomes
balmy enough for bees
Frost has taken out the basil and tomatoes,
and most of the marigolds,
but there still are flowers to be found
And we are glad for indoor fire and music,
and comforts greeting us at end of day,
and we’re glad for everything we’re learning,
each with its brightness, all along the way.
©Wendy Mulhern
October 31, 2023
The north wind whips the chill like a flag,
brisk snapping agaisnt skin, incursions
between the weave of clothing,
having chased away the damp cold of fog
that wandered mutely through the morning
Frost tonight, I well expect
(I picked the peppers in the afternoon)
and so we dip into the changes
I seem to never fathom
till they are here.
©Wendy Mulhern
October 27, 2023
Fog softens
the earliest and latest parts of day,
invites the fusing
of things cocooned
with those that live in dream
October threads warmth through coolness,
stitching up the moments
like a needle,
light leaks through the punctures
like time.
©Wendy Mulhern
October 14, 2023
In this fluid shift near the balance
of night and day,
the contrasts move past each other
in intricate dances –
fog licks in wisps around the drier air,
warmth blazes through the cool,
cool wafts through warmth
All the scents of change rise up,
morning sun and shadows interlace their fingers,
grass gleams with dew,
new green shoots amid
summer’s darkening brown.
Joy rises unbidden as the dawn,
sense of adventure
sweetening the day.
©Wendy Mulhern
October 6, 2023
The wind at the tail of the storm
catches me up in excitement,
quick steps of the onset of fall
bring memories rich with delight
Someone, perhaps, has arrived here
in the sweet mix of coming home,
and coming to a favorite place
outside of their daily routine
I am a visitor, outside of time,
I walk here and freely imagine
that, much like the scent of fall leaves on the wind,
I can take in how they might feel.
©Wendy Mulhern
September 26, 2023
Winds come up,
the storm has started its journey,
expected to arrive tomorrow.
Scents of freshness and fall
brush across my spirit,
lifting me, making me breathe deep
I fly like time
backwards into the embrace
of so many falls, so many fresh turnings,
seeing the seasons whole,
seeing life timeless,
every moment known, and loved,
at once.
©Wendy Mulhern
September 22, 2023
I love the rolling of the seasons –
the more I am connected to their rhythms,
the more moments transport me –
lift of cool air across the sun warmth
as I walk back to the house,
both my baskets full,
and more to go back for
And the overlay, across my thought,
of spring – how once again,
I’ll tend and transplant seedlings
Before that, certainly,
the cold short days,
the tending fire,
and projects that go splendidly with hearth time
These images flash through me
and they leave joy –
joy for the fresh change,
and the constancy of rhythm,
joy for sun and rain
and for belonging .
©Wendy Mulhern
September 4, 2023
We’re still delighted with the rain,
summer thunder heralding its coming,
gutters singing with the water’s running,
sun’s warmth still hovering
between the drifts of slightly cooling breezes
Five minutes and it’s gone –
subtle rumbles still retreating,
the highway sounding louder from its wetting,
and the end-of-summer smells –
dried grass, and mammal,
mix with the newer scent of dampened soil,
unpredictability now predictable
here at the cusp of autumn.
©Wendy Mulhern
September 2, 2023
Last light, more rain,
the days pull in close,
tight cloaked around the small glow of sun
We stretch ourselves to summon more resilience,
enough imagination
to reserve some space around ourselves,
to keep the darkness at arm’s length.
©Wendy Mulhern
December 11, 2022