Poetry Explorer


Classic and Contemporary Poetry


OCTOBER FROM A BUS WINDOW by ELLA MCBRIDE BALLEW

First Line: I SEE FLAMBOYANT SUMAC ON A HILL
Last Line: AND DUSK DROPS QUICKLY OVER ALL.

I see flamboyant sumac on a hill,
And ivy with its fingers all blood-stained;
A maple wearing kingly orpiment,
A struggling brooklet almost drained.

I glimpse "the cattle on a thousand hills,"
And little creatures hard at work or play;
I smell the winey breath of bursting grapes,
The gleanings of sweet-clover hay.

Just for an instant I can hear the scold
Of blackbirds, or a cardinal's fluty call;
But suddenly I spy a pin-point star,
And dusk drops quickly over all.



Home: PoetryExplorer.net