Specialty coffee drinks, sweaters and scarves, the leaves changing color. There is so much that comes to mind when people think of the fall months. I’ve talked about it non-stop and other bloggers have talked about it non-stop. But what about the things that come to mind when people think of fall that aren’t so widespread or cliched. The things that are more personal.
For me, it’s poetry. When fall rolls around I start to think of poetry more than any other time of year. I want to reach for my favorite collections and discover new ones. I want to pull out a pencil and a piece of paper and start to shape the words that float around my mind into a poem.
(A random fact about me… while I prefer writing fiction on a computer–my hand can’t keep up with my thoughts if I draft by hand–my preferred way to draft poetry is on paper with a pencil, preferably smaller pieces of paper, like sticky notes or small notebooks.)
I’m not entirely sure why fall = poetry in my mind. In college my senior seminar was a poetry class and I took that during the fall, but even before that I always associated with fall with poetry. Maybe there’s something about the season that inspires the poetic side of me.
If you’d like to take a look at the poetry collections that I always reach for during fall, they are:
>> The Book of Questions by Pablo Neruda. I’ve read Neruda’s poetry ever since I first discovered RENT (he’s mentioned in the song La Vie Bohème) and I’ve loved all of his work, but this collection is definitely my favorite. In some ways it reminds me of one of my favorite childhood books, Caretakers of Wonder–which I believe is out of print now like most of my childhood favorites.
>> Whorled by Ed Bok Lee. I had the chance to meet Lee at a poetry conference in Minneapolis a few years ago and after I heard him talk about this collection I knew I had to read it. I had plans to read it slowly, but I ended up reading it in one sitting.
>> Collected Poems by Jane Kenyon. This is always a great collection to pull out, because I haven’t read all of it yet. I like to reread my favorites and then look at some of the poems that I haven’t read yet.
WHAT DOES FALL MAKE YOU THINK OF?
Share your thoughts in the comments and I’ll include your ideas along with a link back to your blog or social media at the end of the week.
Aside from all the cliched, fall puts my love for all thing macabre into overdrive! Ghost hunting shows, Halloween, ghost tours, Edgar Allan Poe, scary movies, etc…
I mean, I like those things all year long, but all of it just falls into place when the leaves are falling and fog blankets old cemeteries in the early morning 🙂
I can definitely relate to fall = poetry!!
For me it is because fall is romantic. The chill in the air combined with the sweaters and scarves makes it a cozy time of year! A time when emotions run wild and the desire to be close to someone is increased. I know many people say that Spring is the season of romance, but I would have to disagree. Fall is where it’s at 😉
Ahh, I totally agree. Fall (and Winter) always inspire poetry for me! I don’t know why, but my poetic passion always wanes during the warmer months, haha. Glad to know I’m not the only one!
I agree, I normally think of the “usual” Fall things when I think about Fall. But something unique would be romance. I feel like Fall is such a great time to fall (haha) in love. I’m married, so in my case, I feel like it’s a great time to reconnect with my hubby and make sure we take time for each other. Makes me think of sitting at football games together in the crisp air, our noses pink from the cold, drinking hot chocolate. 🙂
I was into so much poetry before college! Enjoyed this post!
Mash | http://www.sarmash.com
That’s funny, I’ve never equated fall with poetry. Fall makes me think of fiery colors, crisp air, boots, hot apple cider, and long walks through the leaves.
Fall makes me think of being at peace. I am most at peace in the falltime and it just makes me happy.
Fall definitely means family to me. We have a couple birthdays, and then it gets close to Thanksgiving. It’s mostly good, but can sometimes be stressful too, as we have to juggle our time between two families.
You made me start thinking about the books I like in the seasons of the year! I hadn’t really thought about books by season, except summer reads for the beach.