oh, the glories of an october day

I cannot believe that October has come and gone. We live on the most beautiful street in all of Canton. The two maple trees in our front yard are the last on the block to turn and today they are a vibrant yellow. Rain has fallen most of the day, causing them to lose their leaves more readily. Jude and I spent the afternoon being cozy, snuggling on the couch, commiseratng together about how awful it is to get new teeth. I pulled out the cookbooks again today, looking for new recipes to try in the crockpot. K-Mart and Walmart tell me it is Christmas time but I would like to meander through November rather than race toward the twinkle lights.


My First Morning Milking
by Leo Dangel

I walk to the barn before a sign
of morning. The stars are sparks
in a black sky. Yellow light
from a window is on the blue snow.

Then my father and I
carry the milk pails to the house.
We bend over the sink, our heads
close together, and scoop up water
with our hands to wash our faces.

I smell bacon. The others come
downstairs, rubbing sleepy eyes.
I want to tell them what I know,
the mystery that goes away
when everyone wakes up and the sun
is a cold fire in the east window.