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Poetry Sunday: October by Robert Frost

How did it get to be October so fast? Wasn't it only yesterday that it was February? My mother always told me that time moved faster as you got older. I never believed her but then I was only a teenager at the time and time was interminable.

Still, I'm not sad to see October. It's actually one of the most pleasant months of the year where I live. Robert Frost obviously liked the month also and in this poem, he begged that it go slow and linger. I second his sentiments.

October

by Robert Frost

O hushed October morning mild
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow's wind, if it be wild
Should waste them all
The crows above the forest call;
Tomorrow they may form and go
O hushed October morning mild
Begin the hours of this day slow
Make the day seem to us less brief
Hearts not averse to being beguiled
Beguile us in the way you know;
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away;
Retard the sun with gentle mist;
Enchant the land with amethyst
Slow, slow!
For the grapes' sake, if they were all
Whose leaves already are burnt with frost
Whose clustered fruit must else be lost -
For the grapes' sake along the wall
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Comments

  1. David M. Gascoigne,October 3, 2021 at 5:02 AM

    I like October too when the colours of the leaves will be at their best. Summers here are uncomfortable for me and to live where you live would be unbearable - politically as well as climatically!

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    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersOctober 3, 2021 at 8:31 AM

      It does have some compensations. Among them are October and the birdiness of the place.

      Delete
    2. David M. Gascoigne,October 3, 2021 at 3:00 PM

      There is no question that it is great for birding. I have wonderful memories of three visits to Texas and some fabulous birds. The Santa Ana NWR is one of my all time favourite spots.

      Delete
    3. Dorothy BordersOctober 3, 2021 at 3:07 PM

      Santa Ana is fabulous, as are many of our other wildlife refuges and parks. Closest to us is the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge on the coast, a particular favorite of mine. And then of course there is Big Bend National Park in West Texas, one of my favorite places in the world.

      Delete
  2. mudpuddleOctober 3, 2021 at 9:44 AM

    ha!: birdiness: love it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersOctober 3, 2021 at 9:46 AM

      Texas has 655 species of birds, so, yeah, it's pretty birdy!

      Delete
  3. The Butterfly ReaderOctober 3, 2021 at 11:18 AM

    I love Robert Frost. One of my favorites.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Harvee44October 3, 2021 at 11:25 AM

    Nice. First I've seen this poem by Frost.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AlanaOctober 3, 2021 at 12:36 PM

    Last month, I visited Robert Frost's grave in Bennington, Vermont. He's one of the few poets I was able to get into when I was younger, but this poem is new to me. Autumn is the season I love the most, and hate the most. Love the colors, the food, the crisp air, apples. Hate that winter comes next.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersOctober 3, 2021 at 3:09 PM

      Frost is eminently accessible, even to people who don't like poetry. I think that is one of the things that makes him so popular.

      Delete
  6. Lark October 3, 2021 at 2:02 PM

    I love October, and I love Robert Frost, too. All the trees on the mountains where I live are changing color and right now they're a beautiful tapestry of red and gold and green. I just wish it lasted longer. Happy Sunday!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersOctober 3, 2021 at 3:11 PM

      Lucky you, with your fall colors! We get very little of that here. We mostly either stay green or go from green to brown. Nevertheless, fall is a great season for us, at least as long as we are hurricane-free.

      Delete
  7. R's RueOctober 4, 2021 at 8:29 AM

    Love it so much

    ReplyDelete

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