Hail, bright crescent, rising on first cool night,
rising while carrots thicken in black earth,
and pumpkins gradually expand their girth,
spreading vines across a garden of blight.
These herbs have given savor and delight
through long summer days. Even here, there’s birth:
tarragon and basil seeds find a hearth
to hide from first frost, and deep winter night,
where through winter they’ll linger, safe and sound.
Turning leaves make shows of flame everywhere,
though greenness still governs both beech and oak.
Orchards fill with apples — red, full and round;
Rabbits, squirrels and turkeys claim their share,
in spite of warnings that gun and hawk spoke.
