this first day of autumn
I'll remember the bristle
of woolly bears strolling
toward clover  moving
with accordion-like ease
past wood aster and the tangle
of roadside russets.
I'll remember the yield
of milkweed
rising beside sumac
illuminating the air
with silken strands
where sedums stand within tides
of tempered light.
I'll remember the flourish
of thistle bursting with softness
gracing Arcadian settings
where corn stalks wilt
and field mice jilt
hawk's circular advances.
I'll remember the cadence
of crickets' bell-like refrain
subduing the cries of woodland
creatures pitching in preparation
for future days 
those that fade
when woolly bears
stop dead in their tracks
and freeze solid.

Jeannie E. Roberts lives near Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. Her fourth book, Romp and Ceremony is forthcoming from Finishing Line Press. She is also the author of Beyond Bulrush ( 2015), and Nature of it All ( 2013). Learn more about Jeannie at www.jrcreative.biz