Something Under The Leaves Darkening the Ground

Boise Cascade Lake. October 30, 2019.

“As our eyes grow accustomed to sight, they armour themselves against wonder.”

- Leonard Cohen

Fall and falling leaves darkening the ground and nights longing into cold mornings I love the electricity in the air and the poetry of fall and the changing of the seasons and I was going to re-record the music to my favorite creepy fall poem but there were broken strings on the banjo and violin so “It’s Under the Leaves” is what it is but has to be shared in the fall because, well, it’s an atmospheric, spoken word journey through an event in a small town where, for an unknown reason, a girl is missing. Someone in the poem is either trying to help or trying to cover up something as we keep hearing, “leaves covering up thangs we’d rather forget.” Here’s the beginning:

The lights are on but she's not around
there's mud on the stairs and the shovel is gone
footprints at the window lead back to the woods
a cigarette smolders near a pile of dead leaves

His truck's at the house but his mom says he's out
no one's seen Frank round here for days
his dog's chained up behind the shed
and the rack in his truck is missing a gun

We was fishing for cats at the Old Mill Pond
full moon's throwing the shadows long
a warm wind was blowing for this time of year
leaves covering up things we'd rather forget

You can read and hear the poem with music as it is here. Someday though, new strings = new music for this poem.

These things also inspired me recently:

• “Never Under Estimate the Intelligence of Trees” - This is a super interesting article on how trees communicate with one another through fungal root systems called mycorrhizae. You know my love for shrooms, but this is from another angle, that of the trees. Super fascinating read.

• “How to Bike During Colder Weather” - This article provides the most simple and straight ahead advice for winter bicycling. I think because it’s written to be informational and not to sell the next best winter biking gear.

• “The 10 Types of Tippers According to Servers” - This is a quick and fun article but also instructive depending upon which categories you may find yourself in.

• “Fall Campfire” - Here’s a 26-second video full of happiness for you.