FALL

She's a whisper on the breeze,
At the dawning of the day
A rustle of the trees,
Announcing winter's on her way.

The sunshine now is fading,
She has blown it far beyond.
The chill is all pervading
And Summer is long gone..

Fall wears a gown of fading green.,
Strewn with leaves of gold,
So fleeting she is rarely seen,
But wondrous to behold.

She will take you on a merry jaunt,
A wild erratic dance.
Her mad erratic winds will taunt,
As she weaves her Autumn trance.

But all too soon she passes by,
Her time is short and sweet.
A winter chill is drawing nigh-
And soon Fall will retreat.


- Lady Nemesis 2003


 

Chiquita and Sequester

"Come Sequester, get dressed quick sticks, we must go dancing!" Cried Chiquita, completely out of the blue one fine and balmy Summer evening. Sequester looked at her with disdain as she danced about the living room of the cozy tomb they shared He had just finished laundering his fur and wasn't at all enthused to don collar and bow for an outing. In fact an hour or two dozing in front of the telly was what he had in mind, perhaps followed by a relaxing belly rub when it got a bit cooler.
His not altogether unusual reluctance wasn't lost on Chiquita, for although She dearly loved her feline companion, their tastes on just about everything were like night and day. Take the decor of the tomb they shared for instance; Chiquita had lavishly decorated richly in sumptuous velvets with plush carpets and faux fur, there right in the middle of the sofa like the veritable pimple on a pumpkin was Sequesters cherished 'nanna' knit afghan, a lime and yellow crocheted monstrosity that he simply couldn't relax without. After many heated discussions Chiquita had learned to live with the shapeless, fur encrusted eye sore, rather than face Sequesters rarely exercised, but smoldering none the less wrath. But really she couldn't complain, it was one of the few things that Sequester had ever insisted upon, with almost all of Chiquita's other wild and erratic, often eccentric ideas he was more likely to sigh and go back to sleep than make a fuss. Unlike Chiquita who�s feisty personality almost always got the better of her, Sequester was never one to let the fur fly.
But like all good friends, Chiquita knew the way to appeal to Sequesters affections. She bounded off to the kitchen to whisk up a cocktail for her feline friend. Soon she was blending a carton of lactose free pet milk and some very expensive anchovy fillets that she kept for just these sort of occasions together and pouring this aromatic concoction into his favorite cut glass bowl.
This dubious concoction had just the desired effect of Sequester, who twitched his whiskers and pried open one sleeping eye. Soon he was snaffling down his treat and licking his whiskers with delight. Purring with delight at Chiquitas caresses, he barely noticed her fastening his collar and brandishing a box of ribbons so that he might choose a bow for his tail. Within the hour he was looking dapper and ready for a Flamenco, or perhaps a Samba, or maybe a Tango- why not all three; for Sequester certainly knew his way around a dance floor and he was feeling frisky and ready to 'cut a rug'.
Chiquita smiled with delight and gave her companion a knowing wink as they made off for the dance hall!

- Lady Nemesis 2005 

Baby Jack SquashJack Squash stretched and yawned as he stepped from his hollowed out sweet mischief miniature pumpkin bed. He slipped his feet into his snuggly warm Jack-o-lantern booties and made his way to the kitchen for a cup of Pumpkin flower tea and a slice of pumpkin pie (Jack squash loves Pumpkin pie for Breakfast, but is easily pleased with a slice of toasted pumpkin bread instead).
Of course Jack has his breakfast when most human folks are heading for their beds, just as all of the pumpkin patch keepers have before him. Jack Squash is well aware that night- time is the best time to tend his precious pumpkins.
It was a brilliant bright full moon and Jack whistled his pleasure as he wandered through the pumpkin patch. He nodded his greetings to the snail and grub families and inspected the spreading pumpkin leaves. There were several tiny pumpkins forming already and he took time to polish and shine and massage their smooth skins. Then he inspected the flowers and rearranged leaves and vines so that the they could attract the maximum attention and look inviting for the pollinator insects. Jack always spoke kindly to the growing plants, checking their roots and watering any that looked parched. He was mightily pleased with his toil and was making his way home to his pumpkin house when he heard a strange rustling beneath a thick clump of leaves. Leaning in closer he heard the giggling and cooing of a child. Parting the leaves he saw, joy of joys, a new born pumpkin baby, baby. Now this is a most unique and rare event in the pumpkin patch and Jack would need to get news of the marvelous occurrence out into the vegetable garden so that all of the creatures might come forth to meet the new arrival. But in the mean time he wrapped the infant in a vine leaf and searched for a sturdy young pumpkin that he might hollow out for a crib.
Soon both Jack Squash and the baby would be tucked up snuggly in their beds and the waking mortals would be none the wiser of the great and miraculous events of the evening before. They would however proclaim this season to produce the most plentiful and delicious crop of Pumpkins that anyone could remember.