“Cedar Flags” by Tricia Knoll.
Four Days Away
A small time gone to see the first snow
on the gold hills near the mountain.
A return to tomato plants turning black,
the hosta succumbed to a frost.
The cedar loosed its fall flags
in the west wind and turned the deck
to gold wonder of a forest floor.
Four days under a record rain
and first thing we carried inside,
that heavy temple bell, a gong
too noisy for gusts that attack
our coming winter nights.
—Tricia Knoll
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Tricia Knoll’s most recent book is Broadfork Farm, a series of love poems for the creatures, family, and gardens at a small organic farm in Trout Lake, Washington. In a time of urban disturbance, retreating to the farm brings a measure of peace.
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