Friday, December 3, 2010

To Catch a Falling Leaf

This morning I went in my backyard to snap some pictures of the fall color 
in an effort to preserve this brief moment in time, 
yet never feeling like I could truly capture the beauty of it all in a photo.

I just stood there taking it all in, watching the leaves fall.

It was so peaceful.
  
So I thought I'd try to "catch the falling leaves" in a poem.  
I hope you enjoy it :-)

(Oh, and thanks to Perry Como for the inspiration on the first verse!)


 I'd like to catch a falling leaf
and never let it fade away.
And if I caught a falling leaf,
I'd save it for a wintry day :-)


In the quiet of the morning,
I gazed upon the trees
Ablaze with autumn color
Oh, what beauty such as these!

In silence I watched the leaves
fall gently to the ground
Evidence of autumn's presence,
yet there without a sound

I marveled at the colors
in shades of red and yellow
The season's last hurrah
as the garden starts to mellow

Though winter's cold approaches
and autumn soon will go
If only it could linger,
this is brilliant foliage show

There's death and then new life
in the passing of each season
So I'll turn my thoughts to spring,
though my garden may be freezin'!

By Toni @ Signature Gardens 12-3-10 

Until next time... 

I hope you take a moment to catch the beauty of your garden!

Toni :-) 


18 comments:

  1. Wow! Those maples are gorgeous! Enjoyed that poem as well!

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  2. Nicely done! You integrated it perfectly with the poem. :)

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  3. @Floridagirl: Thanks for visiting! That's 'Sango Kaku' Coral Bark Maple in the foreground and 'Bloodgood' Maple in the background. Every day the maples turn just a little bit deeper shade of yellow or red. Just love 'em! Couldn't contain myself -- just broke into prose :-)

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  4. @Eliza: Thanks! Glad you liked the poem :-)

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  5. Very talented writer that you are. I loved your poem. I asked the question if anyone had photographed falling leaves and you did a great job of it.

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  6. @gardenwalk: Do you have any idea how difficult it is to photograph falling leaves?!! If anyone was watching me in my backyard, they must have thought I was a nut standing there staring into the sky holding my iPhone into the air waiting for the wind to blow. And then you've got to be super quick with the click or the leaf is beyond the photo in a nanosecond!! I made several attempts today until I finally got one that at least fairly clearly shows the leaf carried by the wind. Whew! Anyway, glad you stopped by and liked the poem :-)

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  7. Hi Toni, I just noticed that you left a second comment on my night out post. Your husband is a great sport for sure and you are so right that a marriage is a always a little give and take. My hubby puts up with my garden visits too. ( Mostly he snoozes in the car!)
    I love your opening picture! It one of those perfect moments, with the leaf falling through the sky, and you have managed to capture it so beautifully. The poem is the perfect companion for the images. Have a great weekend! Jennifer

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  8. Beautiful beautiful poem! I love your photos too. Falling leaves are so poetic in how each has its own journey . . . falling in their own unique way. I clicked on your falling leaf and it is lovely! There is something so simple yet profound about a single leaf in free fall.

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  9. Beautiful poem perfect with a beautiful photos, to catch the falling leave in motion is so peaceful and graceful..

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  10. @Jennifer, Carol, & P3:
    So glad you enjoyed the poem. Thank you for your sweet comments! Every day the autumn scene in my garden is changing -- colors deepen, leaves continue to fall. There are times when I just want to stop and take it all in. Not sure that words or photos can ever do justice to the true beauty...but we can try, can't we :-) Thanks again for visiting!

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  11. Wonderful poem! It reminds me of a song from the movie Love Actually that goes "Catch a falling heart and put it in your pocket..." Our trees are almost completely naked. My back yard looks like a botanical nudist colony.

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  12. @TS: Thanks! Glad you liked the poem. Actually, the song is "Catch a Falling STAR," isn't it?? "Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, never let it fade away. Catch a falling star and put it in your pocket, save it for a rainy day." Yes, that was my inspiration for that first verse :-) The leaves are a fallin' fast here -- won't be long before we have some bare branches, too!

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  13. Lovely, I like the falling leaf photo:)

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  14. @Stone Art: Thanks for visiting! That falling leaf was hard to photograph! Timing had to be just right. It took several shots to get one where you could actually tell it was a leaf and not just a blob on the photograph :-)

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  15. Thanks for the correct lyrics! I'm rotten at remembering song lyrics but know the Latin names of my plants!! :0) I guess that's why I have a gardening blog instead of a music one!!

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  16. Very nice poem, and to one of my favorite childhood songs. Your gardens look lovely and you have some wonderful specimens of Japanese maples. Thanks for commenting on my blog the other day.

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  17. Thanks for the photos and the nice poetry Toni.
    I was walking my little doggy late last night and noticed that the normal "crunch" of the fallen Sycamore leaves underfoot was gone. The moisture from two foggy days in a row has robbed them of their voice.
    Winter is near.
    Rees

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  18. Have you written a book yet Toni? I want one!

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