Septemberby John Updike
The breezes taste
Of apple peel.
The air is full
Of smells to feel-
Ripe fruit, old footballs,
Burning brush,
New books, erasers,
Chalk, and such.
The bee, his hive,
Well-honeyed hum,
And Mother cuts
Chrysanthemums.
Like plates washed clean
With suds, the days
Are polished with
A morning haze.
One of my favourites!
ReplyDeletelovely...Thank you
ReplyDeleteSeptember is sure here ... it blew in with a blast ...
ReplyDeleteAhhhhhh,(sigh)I feel refreshed now. Thanks. Such visions are a good thing.
ReplyDeleteOle Johnny boy knows how it feels in September. We are busy watching football for sure.
ReplyDeleteI like that poem. He puts September's feelings into words I can identify with. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteWonderful poem. So sensual. Updike was obviously someone who took in the world through every pore.
ReplyDeleteI love this poem. Do you have "A Child's Calendar?" Trina Schart Hyman used to live near us and our daughters went to daycare with her grandkids, so many of the illustrations are very familiar to us. It's such a sweet book.
ReplyDeleteLove that one - it appears in his lovely children's book A Child's Calendar (one of my all time favorites ) which have the gorgeous illustrations from the late Trina Schart Hyman.
ReplyDeleteMe, too, Pamela. I was going to post it last year, but then I saw it on someone's blog and decided to wait. Haven't seen it this year anywhere... yet. I'm not a big fan of his fiction, but I sure love this poem. I love the line - 'and mother cuts chrysanthemums.'
ReplyDeleteVal, I'm very glad you like it.
JC, it is just beautiful around here. Sunny, sunny but not hot. Perfect.
Conny, what a nice thing to say. I love it.
Lisa, I wonder if anyone else ever called him that :<)
Debbie, me, too. That's what the best poems should do, I think.
Common Weeder, that's a great description.
Sarah and Susan, no I haven't seen it, but will look into it. Funny how the so-called 'easy' poems are thought of as for children, when really we all can appreciate them, often more than many 'adult' poems. Wonderful connection with TSH, Sarah.
lovely poem, thanks for sharing...yes I did do a blog search on google. :)
ReplyDeleteThought so, Rachel! And thanks again for Humming Urban Stereo - I bought a cd at iTunes, and saw a great video of Hawaiian Couple at you tube.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this poem, especially since I look at the beginning of September as a sad time with my kids returning to school. You reminded me that there is beauty in September that I can share with them, even if the fun is limited to weekends and M-F after 3:10!
ReplyDeleteThanks, too for the Mad Men info!
Alison, I used to feel that, too.
ReplyDeleteThink you. I've often felt that sadness mentioned above, and that's no good. My birthday was yesterday, Septembre 1st. Out was a very good day :) This poem will help carry that feeling into next month. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked the poem. I'm not a big fan of his fiction, but am fond of the poem.
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