Today is the day that Portland got its groove back
Returned to its old self.
Forgot about its summer frivolity.
I welcome it quietly,
Like putting on a comfortable old coat.
An even temperature with light winds, a grey overcast with cotton ball bottoms and luminous folds between quilted billows. A smoothness.
Cool moist air. No bright sun. No more dry tinder. No harsh shadows.
Darkness under dense trees oozes into the surrounding gray.
Smooth like cottage cheese. No hard edges.
A steadiness that is protective and reassuring.
No bare blade will stab us sharply.
We are covered by a vast quilt that softens the harsh impacts
Thrust upon us from an information intense age.
Our blanket spreads out across the valleys of the Willamette and the Columbia, rolls up the foothills and the faces of the Cascades and the Coastal Range, amply covering all our domains.
TV radio and newspaper quarrels among Republican candidates,
Harsh arguments on the economy, announced troop withdrawals from Iraq, Gadhafi’s death, NBA owners and players bickering over their millions,
All this reaches us softly, like cat’s feet kneading a wool blanket.
A Time to withdraw, muse and search within.
Time for a quiet walk, watch the last bright acts of falling leaves,
Reflect on the passing of the seasons and the trees.
The dwindling light and shortened days
Sadness tinged with melancholic haze.
A cup of tea.
A time for reflection and acceptance.
Time to settle in for a long Portland eve. dhp/10.2011
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