PUMPKINS ON PORCH STEPS
A striking contrast!
Surrounded by tones of white, gray and brown,
these seven orbs, in shades of orange,
pumpkins simply displayed,
with bright autumn sun casting shadows,
they sit, amid defined lines
of island cottage porch and steps.

 They prompt a recollection 
of autumn days going back to childhood,
landscapes of brown, gray and tired greens,
dry leaves rustling at my feet,
sky filled in smoky haze,
fragrance of burning leaves,
woodland and gardens
struggling for their last breath.
a breath they will hold
until winter has passed,
and spring brings new life.

 
Harbingers of things to come,
will they sit long enough
to be draped by the howling winds
in the blanket of the first island snow?

 Difficult to imagine
on this sunlit October day,
as the simple arrangement of 
of pumpkins on steps,
warms me in thoughts of
island autumns,
set in past and present.

 
R.A. Szostek