the first chilly morning

SEPTEMBER

by: Helen Hunt Jackson (1830-1885)

HE golden-rod is yellow;

The corn is turning brown;

The trees in apple orchards

With fruit are bending down.

 

The gentian’s bluest fringes

Are curling in the sun;

In dusty pods the milkweed

Its hidden silk has spun.

 

The sedges flaunt their harvest,

In every meadow nook;

And asters by the brook-side

Make asters in the brook.

 

From dewy lanes at morning

The grapes’ sweet odors rise;

At noon the roads all flutter

With yellow butterflies.

 

By all these lovely tokens

September days are here,

With summer’s best of weather,

And autumn’s best of cheer.

 

But none of all this beauty

Which floods the earth and air

Is unto me the secret

Which makes September fair.

 

‘T is a thing which I remember;

To name it thrills me yet:

One day of one September

I never can forget.

There’s something about the first chilly morning that arrives between summer and fall that fills my soul with anticipation.  I will admit, autumn is my favorite time of year so I am a bit partial, but when Chilly Morning arrives, I feel like a child awaiting Santa Claus.

She greets me at the door, her hands flung open wide, embracing me with her cool kiss.  Our cat, Prissy, perks up her ears and flicks her tail–oh, how frisky she’ll be this week.  I skip down the driveway and call out to the chickens.  They mumble and refuse to come out of their warm coop, even for their favorite breakfast.

Chilly Morning’s arrival brings with her the thought of  hot cider, warm soup, and fresh greens.  She invites us on long hikes under maple trees aflame in auburn and gold and lulls us to sleep with cool breezes through open windows.

She’s all about crunchy leaf piles, chirping crickets, and honking geese.  She’s the color of bright pumpkins, rainbow chard, and crimson leaves.

And she’s here, filling my spirit with a sense of anticipation and excitement for a new season–a season to celebrate the Creator’s

passion for harvest and thanksgiving.