Toni Stone Oct. 9, 2003
401 Buck Hollow Rd.
Fairfax, VT 05454
seen it before. . .
seasons come. . .
seasons go. . .
but always i recall,
“this is nothing new.
i have seen it before. . .
i know this movement.”
some years later,
some years earlier,
comes the killing frost
but never a year it didn’t come.
“i have seen it before.”
sometimes pumpkins are many,
sometimes pumpkins are few,
but there are always pumpkins.
“i have seen it before.”
the mums, aster, foliage, scarecrows
look at them all!. . ..everywhere!
the burning bush turns red,
chestnuts drop. . .windows get closed.
we pull out sheepskin boots.
we get our winter chairs ready.
books, quilts, nuts. . .
stack that firewood,
and bring bunches into the green house.
the farmer’s almanac says lots of snow, early this year.
my cats fur is thick.
there’s extra in his ears.
this will be our third winter without Dad.
he left us with everything we need.
“we have seen this all before.”
