November’s Gentle Arrival

November slips in with a quiet grace,

her breath a soft chill against the skin,

where leaves have turned to copper and gold,

and fires flicker to welcome her in.

She brings the scent of earth and pine,

of crisp air laced with distant smoke,

a reminder that warmth can still be found,

in knitted scarves and borrowed coats.

There’s a calm in her fading light,

a beauty in the bare, open trees,

as if she’s showing us the art of letting go,

of finding peace in simplicity.

We gather closer, hands and hearts,

sharing stories by the early dusk,

with laughter that fills the cooling air,

and mugs that warm like gentle hugs.

November is the pause before winter’s chill,

a season of softness, an ember’s glow,

reminding us to slow, to breathe, to see—

that even in endings, there’s room to grow.

© 2024 A.M. Roberts. All rights reserved.