The Crunch of the needles

Dry in the forest
before the first snowfall
the leaves of autumn
heavy on the ground

The barrenness of November
hastened by the cold windstorm
the rain staying south of us
watering another land

The crunch of the needles
the branches, the pine cones
the colored leaves of the woodlands
under my feet

The pitch sticking
soles of my boots heavy
a skin of needles
making them slippery
as I hike on the hidden trail


April 16, 2010
written in the school lobby
while waiting to be called in
for National Poetry Month presentation
Mrs. Forest’s 3rd grade class
Pembroke Hill School
Pembroke, NH
April 16, 2010
about a walk in the woods
in Claremont, NH, Fall 1977
(and my memory of other such walks)

Copyright by Raymond A. Foss, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010
Contact me at Ray Foss
for usage.