Tipping the Balance

Photo by MDH

This week holds Autumn Equinox, when day and night are nearly equal in length, a threshold from summer to fall in the North, where leaves begin to burn with color and layer the ground. Night now will outpace day for a quarter of the year.

Some in the North will miss the light, wishing for warmer brighter days. The word, though, from Clarissa Pinkola Estés in Women Who Run with the Wolves describes a time of deep reflection, a space to tip the balance, a chance to sharpen senses keen in the dark.

These thoughts came to mind with the morning’s red-sky dawn, and I recalled my poem “Brigit’s Fire.” I began the piece one fall around the anniversary of my friend Sam’s death. The poem arcs from autumn to the promise of spring, from the dying season unto the lengthening of days.

In celebration of the season, I look forward to reading from “Circle. . . Home” this Saturday, September 24, at 6:00pm at the Triple Goddess Bookstore of Okemos (see map here). My reading is a part of the store’s Autumn Equinox Festival. This event is my last until October, so come out and make merry!