Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, GENTIANS IN OCTOBER, by MARTHA H. HOLLINSHEAD


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

GENTIANS IN OCTOBER, by                    
First Line: Fringed gentians in the meadow
Last Line: Solace for the passing of the year.
Subject(s): Fields; Pastures; Meadows; Leas


Fringed gentians in the meadow
Where the violets earlier grew,
Candelabra pointing skyward,
Ever matching blue for blue.
There are oaks of vivid scarlet
In the woodland by the meadow,
There are dogwoods, there are hawthorns,
Tulip poplars green and yellow.

In the angles of the fences
Grow the cherry and the pear;
All their summer fruits have vanished,
Birds no longer shelter there.
The frost has killed the asters,
They stand there gaunt and gray,
And withered stalks of goldenrod
Forlornly wait their final day.

But the gentians in the meadow,
Heeding not their neighbors' dying,
Bloom in grace 'mid tawny grasses,
Where the milkweed seeds are flying.
In their blue cups bees find nectar,
In their beauty men find cheer,
Azure visions, joy forever,
Solace for the passing of the year.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net