The distant fragrances
Of forgotten apples
Of cooling wild grapes
Of fallen leaves crumbling
Envelop me
In the early dark
of October and--
There is no reason for this--
Make me turn my gaze
Just enough to take in
A white heron
Blessing the lake
With silence and flight.
Shadows darken.
Stars appear.
There is no looking back
No turning away
If you are the heron.
I've been doing a lot of dictionary work with the kids, and I have been loving it. Every word in our language has a story that takes us deep into another time and place. I found talisman to be irresistable:
From Merriam-Webster:
Main Entry: tal·is·man
Pronunciation: \ˈta-ləs-mən, -ləz-\
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural tal·is·mans
Etymology: French talisman or Spanish talismán or Italian talismano; all from Arabic ṭilsam, from Middle Greek telesma, from Greek, consecration, from telein to initiate into the mysteries, complete, from telos end — more at telos
Date: 1638
1 : an object held to act as a charm to avert evil and bring good fortune
2 : something producing apparently magical or miraculous effects
— tal·is·man·ic \ˌta-ləs-ˈma-nik, -ləz-\ adjective
— tal·is·man·i·cal·ly \-ni-k(ə-)lē\ adverb
43 Comments
I love etymology; I could spend hours with those huge dictionaries the libraries have just enjoying new words.
ReplyDeleteLoved your poetry today, especially the image of the heron and the flavour of autumn.
I love all that autumn brings us. THe world does seem a bit more quiet beginning in October. A wonderful month full of color and crispy air. It is a wonderful thought to have a talisman.
ReplyDeletei love the poem. i can see in my minds eye the apple and the heron gracing the autumn yard and placid lake...
ReplyDeleteit is indeed a talisman!
Love the poem. Strange how something can make us look over like that, in time to see the heron skim the lake. Just like when I went to the window just in time to see the fox staring in at me.
ReplyDeleteThere are certain words that have a good sound to them and talisman is one of those words. Enjoyed looking at all the definitions.
Nuts in May
fascinating, I'd like to be in your classes but will have to get it second hand via blogging.
ReplyDeleteYou're teaching all the time my friend! Lovely poem...and I've always felt that the word talisman had special meaning to me...nice to see it showcased.
ReplyDeleteSandi
What a wonderful poem. And thanks for the etymology of the word talisman.
ReplyDeleteI could smell those apples and feel that cool breeze. Great going.
ReplyDeletesolidified
Thank you, Sandy. Thank you for telling, and reminding, me that there is a story in every word we have. I am a believer.
ReplyDeleteYou did very good with your story. I love the way you integrate nature into so many of your poems. For me there was no way from the definition to use natural settings.
..
what a lovely artist you are, you paint such devine picttures in my mind and in my heart!
ReplyDeletewell done Sandy!
It reads like a long haiku. Such evoking images.
ReplyDeleteYou are a talisman to us and to your students!
ReplyDeleteAloha, Friend
Comfort Spiral
What beautiful, tranquil words Sandy, I loved this post and savored each line. Well done..
ReplyDeleteHugs, G
I really like this poem, Sandy.
ReplyDeleteI'm fond of reading the dictionary as well, I like to know the etymology and discover new words.
this is so beautiful!
ReplyDeletewith your first few lines, something inside me slowed
ReplyDeletei read your poem out loud
i was transported
i love your perspective on our prompt, thank you.
I have a passion for ethymology. It's fascinating to see where our words come from...
ReplyDeleteIsn't it wonderful how teachers learn along with the students? Enjoyed the poem tht left vivid photos in my mind.
ReplyDeleteTalisman is such an evocative word. It is onomatopoetic - sounds like what it is: magical, miraculous, a charm.
ReplyDeleteIt is precisely opposite from its despised younger brother: taliban.
I love the way you think, Sandy. Your poem was wonderful, thanks...
ReplyDeletevery compelling and peaceful
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing more on Talisman.
ReplyDeleteLoved your work, especially the imagery of a white heron blessing the lake with its silence and flight...was simply superb.
Poetry is as elusive to me as that rainbow shot I seek but I can and do appreciate your lovely way with words
ReplyDeleteSo always make nature so inviting.
ReplyDeleteThis made me sit still and sigh deeply for all its meaning... personal and perhaps reaching externally into the magical quality of changing seasons.
ReplyDeleteDictionaries are such treasures!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the poem.
your poem is perfect, placing us exactly in that instant where the human and the heron connect, tied together in space time.
ReplyDeleteThis was beautiful...your words are straightforward, yet they always go deep. It's a wonderful feeling every time I read your work.
ReplyDeleteI got to know the deeper meaning of talisman! Thank you, Sandy. Wonderful poem! :)
ReplyDeleteYour words are magical Sandy!
ReplyDeleteA pleasure to read your poems every time :)
Have a great week!
Anna
"The distant fragrances
ReplyDeleteOf forgotten apples
Of cooling wild grapes
Of fallen leaves crumbling"
These items do indeed create a magic in memory and thought. Very nicely done. Thank you.
Are those choices limited only if you're the heron?
ReplyDeleteOur instincts are heightened during this season--loved whatever made the protagonist turn her/his head to take in the heron--
Lovely!
Lovely poem - I've always found 'talisman' to be a musical, magical word with many uses. Nice post!
ReplyDeleteSnady: Beautifully written, I can't read this word W/O thing of Steven King and his writings.
ReplyDeleteSandy, I, too, looked this word up to make sure I understood its meaning! Your dictionary is much more indepth than mine, and I, too, wrote about a bird! I love the images in your poem for they bring me right back to New England and a walk through a farmer's field with woods at the edge. I can smell the apples and the newly fallen leaves. I love the image of the heron taking flight. Your poem is carried on its wings!
ReplyDeletei had given up the idea of writing on this prompt....you make it look so easy here...
ReplyDeletepure delight..
I like that poem.....wonderful!
ReplyDeleteReally nice !
ReplyDelete.. so beautiful ..
ReplyDeleteAnonymous aka zoya gautam ..
ReplyDeleteThe miracle of connectedness - very nicely written, Sandy.
ReplyDeleteI can just picture this (and smell it too!). What a wonderful tribute to an October evening! Just lovely, Sandy~
ReplyDeleteAahhh, that heron again. I remember him from last summer. Splendidly told, and as always your gift of imagery is without peer.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being here.