Words from “October Days” by M. van Balen
Photos: by M. van Balen The Collegeville Institute
“THE SUN HITS THE LEAVES ALREADY ON FIRE…”
“…FLAMING TO THE SKY…”
“LEAVES ON THE TREES, ON THE GROUND, AND IN THE AIR SMILE AS I WALK BY…”
October has arrived with the brilliance I have come to expect: bright blue skies, leaves kindled by afternoon sun or softened in evening light. Crisp air energizes me and announces colder temperatures to come. I look forward to throwing on a sweater or burrowing under blankets at night.
For years, our family spent a late October weekend in a rustic cement block lodge nestled between wooded ridges and streams. We roasted apples, played games, hiked, and kept a fire burning in the huge fireplace for three days. No one minded the absence of TV or telephones.
One frosty morning when I was twenty-something, I hopped onto my bicycle and peddled around neighborhood streets drinking in the glory of an October morning. When the beauty of it became overwhelming, I rode home, took out my guitar and turned the experience into a song, October Days.
I often kept vigil on September 30, waiting for the earth to slip into October and when it idid, I serenaded it with my song. My children remember staying up with me when they were young, eager to sing in the season. One or another of them still calls to share in welcoming the month.
The sun shining on the grass makes the dew look like ice;
and the wind on my face is cold.
It makes me want to smile and say to the world,
Id say Wake up world, and love this day.
Its a gift you know, and its yours
If you only knew the way
to get lost in an October day
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