Baring in Autumn

Returning to a favorite spot in a new season

Once again 

Summer died into October

I have returned to

The oldest cabin in Baring

The Skykomish

Once a May roar

Now quieter, now less

 Sings a song of stone 

Upon a thousand and one

Stones now revealed 

A thousand and one stories

Crash, splash 

Their way to the sea

I back my chair against

The cabin’s log wall for 

Into my coffee

Into my hair

A drizzle of caterpillars

Fall

Leaning  toward the river

A sole tree barren

Every leaf consumed 

Is now hung with cotton nests

A windless day turns to

Windless night

Against the chill moon

The surrounding trees

Hold tight their shawls of 

Bright autumn colors

I stare upon the eaten one 

Its starlit  limbs twisted 

Into the Chinese symbol

Of my loneliness 

4:00 am

The fire now embers

I tug my blanket to my chin

Renew my grip on the fat novel

Resting on my chest

Soon, quite soon

Diana will awaken

Pepper will leap upon me

Lick me with love

I will rub her belly

I will make fresh coffee 

While awaiting dawn

When I will throw and throw 

Pepper will run and run

On every  bounce catch 

Her blue rubber ball

Reviews

[Jansy]

This poem beautifully balances the vastness of autumn with intimate domestic moments. I can feel the chill of the river, the warmth of coffee, and Pepper’s playful energy. Solitude and gentle joy coexist, making both the landscape and the small rituals come vividly alive.
Beautifully penned,
-James☆

[Michael Sun Bear]

Thank you James. Sometimes one doesn’t feel the need of clever metaphors and similes, it’s just enough to look at the ordinary everyday things with fresh eyes. I am glad you liked it.

[Desert Knave]

So bloody easy to envision almost everything because of how well you've told the tale. Nicely done. ~Jim

[Michael Sun Bear]

Thanks Jim.

[RomaJ]

Michael, this poem is beautiful and immersive, capturing the quiet rhythms of life. I love how you trace the passage of seasons with vivid, sensory detail -- the roar of May giving way to the calm of October, the stones and river, the barren tree hung with cotton nests.

There’s a stillness and intimacy here, especially in the personal moments with Diana and Pepper, that makes the landscape feel alive and deeply human. The way nature and daily life intertwine creates a reflective, almost sacred, autumnal atmosphere.

[Michael Sun Bear]

Thank you so much for reading and for the beautiful, thoughtful review.

[Chris Shaw]

This place comes alive for me even as the season changes. A cabin near a river with the aroma of coffee does it for me. There is so much value in your lines. Beautiful description, a good book and dogs as companions. Everything to love here MSB.

Chris

[Michael Sun Bear]

Thank you Chris, the trip and the writing of the poem helped me get outside of myself.

[Lara]

What a serenely detailed picture. Of Fall, not lifeless, but yawning a glitter of stone, moon, river and embers.
Rejoice, Pepper. Rejoice, sun bear 🙏

[Michael Sun Bear]

Thank you Lara. Pepper rejoices at just about everything life brings her way!

[John the Baptist]

A beautiful meditation on the interplay of change and changelessness. The speaker notes the passage of the seasons, the natural signs of things yielding to time. Yet the things that matter, the family, the pet and the old cabin help him to endure it. A very pleasant look at life.

[Michael Sun Bear]

Thank you for your serious read and kind words.