artwork: georgia o'keeffe
(Inspired by the painting by Georgia O’Keeffe)
by Cristina M.R. Norcross
Sun-burnt trees bow
and kiss the earth
like rows of praying women.
They lift their heavy heads,
leveling their gaze at the lake,
as the deep, lustrous tones of Autumn
spread like brush fire
during a dry heat wave.
Shadows play along the surface,
turning crystal clear water
into the troubled depths of sapphire blue.
The mountains stand guard –
a watchful blanket of crimson vegetation.
I wrap myself in this
scene of dark decay,
that smells of sweet licorice and smoke,
expecting to find more length
to the season.
Touches of yellow evaporate
on the tips of tree tops,
and the mellow sun fades
earlier each day.
Winter washes the palette clean,
and we wait impatiently
for buds to bloom.
~ first published in The Toronto Quarterly
