Seven Flowers of Autumn

/ October 3, 2023
Radiant rose.

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Here is my second entry for Colleen’s latest poetry challenge to write a seasonally (autumn) themed poem with kigo words. Despite the autumn theme and title, I choose to celebrate flowers from summer when they were in their peak glory. I’m missing the flowers already and we haven’t even had fall weather yet! Maybe when fall finally arrives, I’ll find more to celebrate about autumn.

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I followed Colleen’s lead to write a kouta style poem which uses any combination of 5 & 7 syllables strung together in four lines. My syllable pattern is 5-7-5-7 repeated in three stanzas. My kigo words are feast, drooping, fading, harvest, and darkening. The post title references the seven flowers of Autumn which are seven fall flowers indigenous to Japan, while my flowers are local beauties found in Arkansas.

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summertime glory

bright blossoms radiating

their beauty beckons

birds and bees to join the feast

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flowers fading fast

wilted blossoms tumble down

sunlight fades too soon

my mood darkens with the days

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diminished daylight

signals my body to slow

time to harvest dreams

singing the summertime blues

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Happy Autumn!

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98 thoughts on “Seven Flowers of Autumn”

  4. Brad, I’m thrilled you’re writing poetry with us. Your kouta is fabulous. I really like the way the kigo words add so much imagery to your words. Great photos too! Please link your poetry post in Mr. Linky on the challenge posts: https://tankatuesday.com/2023/10/03/24-seasons-syllabic-poetry-challenge-no-2-10-3-2023-tankatuesday/. Subscribe to Tankatuesday.com to get my posts. It’s a lot of work for me to find the links and add them later. This challenge runs from midnight Tuesday through noon Sunday (Eastern time). I do a recap on Monday. Thanks so much.

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  6. I think this is my favorite post of yours besides all those fungi and moss images that I adore you take (and the autumn leaves) anyways, I digress: I LOVE your poem, LOVE flower display (especially that rose! Gah! I can smell 👃 it!!!) and I LOVE your title and the 7 flowers you did for Arkansas. Arkansas is lucky to have you for now….

    Have the best day!

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  7. I love your words. They speak to me with recent experiences of change in seeing Astrid move on at end of summer. The flowers are gorgeous and although they’re from summer they carry autumn colors within them to me. A bridging of sorts between cycles. Thank you for sharing the beauty through your eyes and heart.

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  8. Another blog post filled with beauty to lift all of our spirits! I love how your closeup images reveal details which I might otherwise miss. It is very true that “their beauty beckons/birds and bees to join the feast…”

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  12. Beautiful words and visuals as always 🙌💕 Your knowledge of poetry and your poems always inspire me to learn more about poetry and write my own 😊💓
    Happy writing, ✍️
    Happy Autumn 🍁

    Much love and peace,
    a newbie-enthusiast of poetry, Munazza 💓

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  16. Hi Brad! I’ve had another read of your poem, and I’m so glad you added your kigo words. These kigo words: “feast, drooping, fading, and darkening,” aren’t specific enough to be kigo words. We could use those words for any season. The idea is that when we read the kigo word, we immediately know what season we’re in. You’re okay with using harvest, as that tells us the season.

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  23. The rules of these poems hurt my brain, but you always write them with such ease.

    ‘time to harvest dreams’

    I love that! I hope the heat lessens and the crispness of fall sets in soon. I’m sure a change from the heat would be a welcomed one. It’s golden and glowing here, and in a blink, it will be gone, so I’m enjoying every second of it. Have a wonderful weekend, Brad. HNS 🍁

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  30. I love the flowers and your poem, Brad! What a lovely way to show the transition from lighter to darker days and even to our feelings. I love the last two lines, time to harvest dreams,
    singing the summertime blues.

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