“Orange Matches”
It’s sad that leaves burn
twice in Fall
first on the branch then
in the pyre,
Burning matches struck
by matches
a fate for Autumn colors,
A keening cloud
hides tiny hands
that tuck
the saved ‘tween leaves
of poets’ lyre
and all the children cry for one
more Autumn rain.
***
(posted and written for: #WSStudioPic (Wordsmith Studio’s Weekly Photo Prompt:This week’s theme is: Orange)and also for the November PAD Prompt 1 “Matches”)
Backstory: In 1953, Frank O’Hara, a New York School of Poets poet wrote a series of twelve poems entitled: .“Oranges: 12 Pastorals” based on his theme: “Oranges.”
And yet, he never once mentions the word or color Orange. Then in 1957 he wrote a poem entitled: “Why I am not a Painter” in which he cleverly addresses his series of Orange poems that never mention the word orange. You can read about the poem at Modern American Poetry. There’s a whole lot to say about this poem but I decided to combine his idea of not mentioning orange with the WordSmith Studio photo prompt and with the very first November 2012 PAD prompt. (Yikes, I must be mad!)
Writing On The Sun 