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Come, Little Leaves

Image by Heidelbergerin

“Come, little leaves,” said the wind one day,
“Over the meadows with me and play.
Put on your dresses of red and gold,
For summer is gone and the days grow cold.”

Soon as the leaves heard the wind’s low call,
Down they came fluttering, one and all.
Over the fields they danced and flew,
Singing the soft little songs they knew.

“Cricket, goodbye, we’ve been friends so long.
Little brook, sing us your farewell song;
Say you are sorry to see us go.
Ah, you will miss us, right well we know.

“Dear little lambs in your fleecy fold,
Mother will keep you from harm and cold;
Fondly we watched you in vale and glade;
Say, will you dream of our loving shade?”

Dancing and whirling, the little leaves went.
Winter had called them, and they were content.
Soon, fast asleep in their earthy beds,
The snow laid a coverlet over their heads.

— George Cooper

On This Road

—

On this road
Where nobody else travels
Autumn nightfall
— Matsuo Basho

The Heavens Declare

Image by Larisa Koshkina

Psalm 19

The heavens declare the glory of God;
And the firmament shows His handiwork.
2 Day unto day utters speech,
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
3 There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
4 Their line has gone out through all the earth,
And their words to the end of the world.

In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,
5 Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
And rejoices like a strong man to run its race.
6 Its rising is from one end of heaven,
And its circuit to the other end;
And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

7 The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul;
The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
8 The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
9 The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;
The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
10 More to be desired are they than gold,
Yea, than much fine gold;
Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned,
And in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can understand his errors?
Cleanse me from secret faults.
13 Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins;
Let them not have dominion over me.
Then I shall be blameless,
And I shall be innocent of great transgression.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.

The Furry Ones

Image by Ulrike Mai

I like–
the furry ones–
the waggy ones
the purry ones
the hoppy ones
that hurry,

The glossy ones
the saucy ones
the sleepy ones
the leapy ones
the mousy ones
that scurry,

The snuggly ones
the huggly ones
the never, never
ugly ones…
all soft
and warm
and furry.

~~ Aileen Fisher

Once I Saw a Little Bird

Image by Dean Moriarty

Once I saw a little bird

going hop, hop, hop.

And I said , “Little bird,

will you stop, stop, stop?” 

I was going to the window

to say, “How do you do?” 

But he shook his little tail

and away he flew.

~~ Anonymous

Upside Down

Image by Myriam Zilles

It’s funny how beetles 
and creatures like that 
can walk upside down 
as well as walk flat.

They crawl on a ceiling 
and climb on a wall 
without any practice 
or trouble at all.

While I have been trying 
for a year (maybe more)
and still I can’t stand 
with my head on the floor. 

~~ Aileen Fisher

This Old Village

Image by Jaesung An

This old village–
Not a single house
Without persimmon trees.
— Matsuo Basho (Translated by Robert Hass)

The Oak Tree

Image by Kevan Craft

The oak tree:
not interested
in cherry blossoms.
— Matsuo Basho (Translated by Robert Hass)

The Mighty One Will Save

Image by Heidelbergerin

Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.

Moonlight Slanting

—

Moonlight slanting
through the bamboo grove;
a cuckoo crying.

— Matsuo Basho (Translated by Robert Hass)

The Dragonfly

—

The dragonfly
can’t quite land
on that blade of grass.

— Matsuo Basho (Translated by Robert Hass)

Spring Rain

Image by ArtTower

Spring rain
leaking through the roof
dripping from the wasps’ nest.

— Matsuo Basho (Translated by Robert Hass)

Wind On The Hill

Image by Dimitris Vetsikas

No one can tell me,
Nobody knows,
Where the wind comes from,
Where the wind goes.

It’s flying from somewhere
As fast as it can,
I couldn’t keep up with it,
Not if I ran.

But if I stopped holding
The string of my kite,
It would blow with the wind
For a day and a night.

And then when I found it,
Wherever it blew,
I should know that the wind
Had been going there too.

So then I could tell them
Where the wind goes…
But where the wind comes from
Nobody knows.

— A. A. Milne

The Red Wheelbarrow

Image by Manfred Richter

so much depends
upon

a red wheel
barrow

glazed with rain
water

beside the white
chickens

— William Carlos Williams (1883-1963)

Sudden Storm

Photo by Alex Block

The rain comes in sheets

Sweeping the streets,

Here, here, and here,

Umbrellas appear.

Red, blue, yellow, green,

They tilt and they lean,

Like mushrooms, like flowers,

That grow when it showers.

— Elizabeth Coatsworth

Winter Garden

Image by Jason Blackeye

Winter garden,
the moon thinned to a thread,
insects singing.
— Matsuo Basho (Translated by Robert Hass)

A Patch of Old Snow

Image by Marianon

There’s a patch of old snow in a corner
That I should have guessed
Was a blow-away paper the rain
Had brought to rest.

It is speckled with grime as if
Small print overspread it,
The news of a day I’ve forgotten —
If I ever read it.

— Robert Frost

Love is Patient

Image by Khadeeja Yasser

1st Corinthians 13:4-8

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8 Love never fails.

Dust of Snow

Image by Kevin Jackson

The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree

Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.

— Robert Frost

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