A November 1 poem from the forthcoming anthology Written in Arlington, which showcases the poets and poems of Arlington, Virginia. Written in Arlington is now available for preorder.

Eleven One
by Jessica Claire Haney

The first of November
doesn’t bother to even whisper.
It just sits still,
breathing shallow,
a giant sprawled out in sleep,
cheek to ground.
Pumpkins squat heavily,
singed and molding,
their foreheads sinking
and smiles dimming.

November First closes its eyes
rather than laugh in your face about
obsolete orange.
Its sky knows only how to be grey.

At this eleventh hour,
trees shake off leaves toward clean silhouettes,
a last chance for a new start,
to gather up the clutter
of the past year’s promises,
to soften small grey balls of fuzz into one mass
before shoving everything under the bed
from Advent until Christmas has passed
when the real newness starts.
 

Jessica Claire Haney is a writer, editor, and tutor who moved to Arlington for an internship and returned to stay in 2000. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, Scary Mommy, Mothering, Beltway Poetry Quarterly, Earth’s Daughters, Court Green, Hip Mama, and anthologies. A former high school teacher, first-time novelist, and mother of two, Jessica is the founder of the Arlington/Alexandria Holistic Moms Network chapter and the website Mindful Healthy Life. “Eleven One” first appeared on her blog CrunchyChewyMama.com.

Written in Arlington / Spoken in Arlington is a print and digital collection of the poets and poems of Arlington, VA, edited by Katherine E. Young and published by Paycock Press. It is supported in part by Arlington County through the Arlington Cultural Affairs division of Arlington Economic Development and the Arlington Commission for the Arts. For more information, visit Arlington Arts.

Image: After the Rain mixed media/collage on canvas by Anya Getter (fragment)2 COMMENTS