When August Reminds Us that Fall Is Coming

First things first and with your kind indulgence: My book is now available for purchase through independent bookstores nationwide. Call or stop at your favorite store and order SLOW RIVERS by Joseph Neely, ISBN 979-8-218-43822-7. You can also order online – and support independent bookstores – by orderinmayg SLOW RIVERS via bookshop.org. I am not yet set up with that giant online retailer; I may get there eventually but am trying my best to support local bookstores first. Regardless of where you purchase SLOW RIVERS, please know that I am grateful for your support!

And now the blog post –
If you live in Michigan – or somewhere with a similar climate – there always comes a time in August when Mother Nature reminds you that (a.) she’s still in charge; and (b.) fall is on its way. Day after day of sunshine, gentle breezes and warm temperatures suddenly give way to “Where’s my damn fleece?”. Thus was it this week on northern Lake Michigan in Goodhart, north of Harbor Springs. It was the same mid-state in Grand Haven, where my sister lives on the Big Lake. I’ve posted links to video from both locations at the bottom of this post. In 2022 I wrote a poem about this phenomenon, humbly set forth for your enjoyment below.

STACKING FIREWOOD: Sonnet No. 3
 
Summer evenings stretch out 
with all the time we need
for trimming and planting,
and summer evenings allow 
for less vital projects, too,
conceived and begun only
because there is time to dream
in warm unhurried summer.
 
But comes a night in August
when the sky darkens early
and we hurry inside to search 
for a sweater last seen in April
and the only projects that matter
prepare us for the coming storm.

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A New Poem Every So Often
(No regular schedule right now; life gets in the way.)

Joseph Neely, all rights reserved.