Bilberry and Birch

It will not always be like this,
The air windless, a few last
Leaves adding their decoration
To the trees’ shoulders, braiding the cuffs
Of the boughs with gold; a bird preening

In the lawn’s mirror. Having looked up
From the day’s chores, pause a minute,
Let the mind take its photograph
Of the bright scene, something to wear
Against the heart in the long cold.

A Day in Autumn by R.S. Thomas

I know that I’ve posted a succession of autumn poems and photographs, but it’s a season that really lends itself to both beautiful words and images.

Now that we’re into November, it’s starting to feel as if we’re coming to the end of the year, even if it is going out in a blaze of glory, and as Thomas says, I feel the need to capture ‘something to wear against the heart in the long cold.’

UPDATE!!

I took the above photograph at the end of last week. We walked past the same stand of trees again yesterday afternoon, and they had completely lost their leaves. They now look like this:

What a difference a few days can make at this time of year.