On Simeon’s Day

Gold cherry

By Turlough

Sun, 20 Sep 2026
  • 695 reads
17 comments
 

 

On Simeon’s Day

 

Misty morning blankets

Bedew an earthen hearth

Where once grew Auxo’s gold

Filling baskets, flooding silos

To warm bellies on brumal days

A harvest taken in with thanks

 

Now soothed, that sting of summer sun

Its ashes barely smoulder

Beneath September’s tapestry

Of yellows, reds and ochres

A veil to shroud autumnal death

To nourish the next conceptus

 

‘It’s time to fly, enchanting friends!’

We’ll tell the storks at Durankulak

Chiliads gather on the lake

For final feasts and fond farewells

A thousand leagues away they’ll find

Home at the other end of the world

 

There they’ll take the human form

Under thatch to live as man and wife

But childless souls they must remain

Dictate the gods ‘til they return

To the rooftop roosts

From whence they came

 

That’s why we never say goodbye

 

Image:

The photograph is my own, but the stork isn’t mine. The storks don’t belong to anybody. There could be no freer spirit.

Certificate 12
Poem
Poetry in Commotion
Inspiration Point (work that responds to our weekly writing cue)

Comments

Submitted by Makis on

I like this Turlough. Carefully crafted and evocative.

 

Submitted by Turlough on

Thank you Makis. It's kind of you to say so.

Turlough

Submitted by skinner_jennifer on

Hi Turlough,

that second stanza spoke so much to me: 

 

Now soothed, that sting of summer sun

its ashes barely smoulder

Beneath September's tapestry

Of yellows, reds and ochers

A veil to shroud autumnal death

To nourish the next conceptus

As you know Autumn is my favourite time of the year, which is why I so enjoyed reading this poem.

Jenny.

 

Submitted by Turlough on

Thank you very much for that Jenny. I'm glad you enjoyed reading it. And I really hope you're enjoying the autumn days at the moment.

Turlough

Submitted by insertponceyfre... on

What a wonderful IP response Turlough - I've seen that beautiful pic before and remember reading how happy you were when you saw it. Autumn isn't my favourite time of year but this poem is a thing of beauty, thank you

 

Submitted by Turlough on

Ah now, this is Stanimira the Stork. I think the previous one was Svetlana. I know they all look pretty similar, but Svetlana has slightly longer eyelashes.

I can’t say I’m fond of autumn either. However, it’s still summery and quite hot here at the moment. That mucks up the words of my poem a bit so please don’t tell anybody.

And thank you very much for your kind comment and cherries.

Turlough

Submitted by celticman on

I've been checking people for Stork marks and resemblance to a margarine tub. I've a few suspect on the fly. 

 

Submitted by Turlough on

Ah, but can you tell stork from nutter?

Turlough

Submitted by celticman on

It's all in the taste buds, bud. 

 

Submitted by Penny4athought on

Beautiful poem Turlough, Autumn can be spectacular - a welcome season after summer heat- but like you, I am still in the throes of Summer here. Heat beating at the door day and night. I dream of and long for an Autumn breeze, a brisk, cool breeze....and I'm hoping for it soon. smiley

Penny4athought

Submitted by Turlough on

Thank you very much Penny. I totally agree with you. But what we’re really after here is a drop of rain, and only a very big drop will do.

I hope your breeze arrives in the not too distant future.

Turlough

Submitted by rjnewlyn on

This is our Facebook/Meta and Twitter/X Pick of the Day! Please share/re-post if you like it.

 

Submitted by Turlough on

Oh that's wonderful news. Thank you very much indeed.

Turlough

Submitted by Jane Hyphen on

It always amazes me, these migrations taken by animals each year, they do so with elegance, huge journeys with stop offs and hook ups all accounted for. The darkening evenings, I struggle with a little, cooler temperatures are very welcome but like you, I'm alarmed by the lack of rain. 

A wonderful poem, nature and folklore entwined. The sort of poem that makes you appreciate the season and take notice.

 

Submitted by Turlough on

Thank you very much Jane. I’m very grateful for your kind words.

The mass migration of various species amazes me too. It’s incredible how they know to do it, and where to go, and when to go back. I love that our village is part of the route for a few of the storks.

What really blows my mind is the annual wildebeest migration where more than a million of those huge creatures set off on a big loop around East Africa. I’m not so sure they’d be welcome in our village though. I don’t know if our hoover would cope with the clearing up afterwards.

Turlough

Submitted by marandina on

'Misty morning blankets

Bedew an earthen hearth'

 

A very fine poem indeed here, T. A heady mix of folklore and nature.

I can see the colours and relate to the story of the storks.

Autumn shimmers in its golden hue very much like this poem. 

 

Submitted by Turlough on

Thank you very much Paul.

They’re strange and wonderful creatures, those storks. We see them around every day during the spring and summer, so we’re already missing them. Next March can’t come quick enough.

Turlough