Darkness of morning
Massive thunderstorm gathers—
Waiting light of peace
Nighttime without joy
Storm’s anger now exhausted—
Brilliant sunrise
Today’s windy breath
Questions about tomorrow—
Navigating hope
Storytelling can be more than a blog post, essay, or book. It can be an emoji, a meme, a selfie, or a tweet. It can become a movement for social change.
When something can’t be fixed, then the question is what can we build instead?
Alice Wong (1974-2025) was an American writer and activist for disability rights. Her life was filled with the challenge of living with a progressive neuromuscular disease.
Autumn’s fading pulse
Winter’s joy arrives
Bearing gifts from darkness
Morning’s sky alive
Welcome transition
Wood stove’s warmth alive
Sharing gifts from darkness
Morning’s peace high-five
Clearest eastern sky
Alarm clock shows five
Yielding gifts from darkness
Morning’s grace now thrives
Crisp winter sunrise
Treasured light now thrives
Raising gifts from darkness
Morning’s spirit drives
Clouds moving away
Distant light shall drive
Bearing gifts from darkness
Morning’s breath survives
Winter’s white blanket covers frozen land
Sheltering nature’s glory until spring
Arctic-fed winds seem to blow from glaciers
Sleeping quietly, life conceals its zing
Northernmost Great Lakes transform skies to gray
Flying above, geese enjoy winter’s fling
Small ponds reflect from thick, icy mirrors
Pausing all around, boldness waits for spring
Ancient trees appear to wait in repose
Ignoring life’s deep freeze, buds holding out
Nature’s winter rest, preparing for spring
Arriving tonight, snowstorm’s final shout
Never to worry, winter fades away
Coming on schedule, spring colors each day
Originally published January, 2021.
Raking piles of leaves
Trees now empty of color—
Autumn’s leftovers
Morning’s icy breath
Winter playing hide ‘n seek—
Goodbye autumn friend
Lonely tree branches
Always full of memories—
Final leaf falling
Summer forgotten
Autumn’s colorful menu—
Dining out . . . just fine
Precious earth cooling
Harvest finally gathered—
November waiting
Fall’s eternal breath
Illustrating every page—
Nature’s brightest flame
Nature’s plot thickens
September’s story finished—
Revised with color
Days growing shorter
September’s warmth slowly cools—
Nights sleeping longer
Forgetting summer
September’s move to autumn—
Leaves express color
From the words of American poet, Helen Hunt Jackson: “By all these lovely tokens, September days here with summer’s best of weather and autumn’s best of cheer.”
Summer’s chapter ends
Autumn’s colors being groomed—
Landscape awakens
Summer’s gate closes
Autumn’s eager to open—
Cascading colors
Summer’s warmth fading
Sunlight’s arc sliding lower—
Autumn here at last
From the words of American farmer, artist, and writer, Rowland E. Robinson: “September days have the warmth of summer in their briefer hours, but in their lengthening evenings a prophetic breath of autumn air.”
August’s final countdown
School campuses alive
Summer’s vanishing breath
Autumn’s changes soon arrive
Dog days’ final heatwave
Students receiving books
Life’s transitioning steps
Autumn paints nature’s crisp look
Calendar page now turns
Summer’s final footsteps
Cooler weather ahead
Autumn’s leaf-colored doorsteps
Landscape’s pace quiets down
While football fans cheer on
Rustling of drying leaves
Autumn sketches, far from gone
Timeless journey transcends
Harvest complete, fields bare
Classrooms find their rhythm
Autumn’s presence everywhere
Another morning rises
Hourglass filled with time
Adventures waiting
Spirit’s gentle touch leaves nighttime
Another wakening heart
Hourglass filled with time
Emotions sailing
Distant dreams surface to bell’s chime
Another page opens up
Hourglass filled with time
Happiness smiling
Nature’s radiance sure to climb
Another wilderness road
Hourglass filled with time
Transitions breathing
Tasting sweetest life, in its prime
Tomorrow naps in shadows
Hourglass filled with time
Hopefulness praising
Unending day, please no bedtime
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