by George Hancock
September 2026
Tuesday begins September’s run
Complete with a dwindling sun
Our daylight hours steadily shrink
And dark running is often a stink.
Meteorological autumn is the first
Soon more colorful leaves will burst
Out on my daily roadside scene
Quickly erasing that color green.
Quiet begins my morning run
Missing is songbirds that stun
My feet slap the morning road
Noisily in this early run episode.
Now we see cooler temp runs
Sometimes so chilly that stuns
September means warm run gear
Allowing early runs minus fear.
This runner monitors the weather
As cooler days blend fall together
Autumn is a great running time
Often detailed here in rhyme.
We’re up early and running on
Realizing it’s dark before dawn
My handy light shines the way
As we begin this September day.
Apple Loss
A killing frost this year
Created images O dear!
Early buds didn’t last
Late March killed ‘em fast.
Last winter was snowy cold
With few out except the bold
So, we enjoyed the warm days
That graced our late winter ways.
Old Man Winter wasn’t done
As I learned on a March run
More cold with a hard freeze
Erased that early warm breeze.
Locally, the apple crop was hit
Destroyed in that freezing spit
Other fruits suffered a big loss
Due to late winter’s frigid toss.
No cherries, no peaches, and alas
Fewer apples from this harass
Local orchards suffered a loss
It stinks; we can’t eat green moss.
We need to stay weather aware
Peaceful weather is often rare
Our apple loss really stuns
Apples fueled my daily runs.
Early Leaves
Late August and September leaves
Give many folks seasonal grieves
This early leaf color change
Is noted across our hilly range.
I’m running early on the road
Seeing this falling leaf episode
Sometimes hit by a falling leaf
Watching often in disbelief.
Many people loathe any change
Seasonal weather creates derange
Yet, each season is only so long
That is my road-running song.
Summer can’t last all the year
We need seasons to adhere
To an orderly sound process
Which is easy I do confess.
Early colored leaves aren’t a test
Though in a yard a minor pest
But outside on our daily run
Early leaves are September fun.
Yes, they are a seasonal sign
Leading to that annual whine
But for me a colorful scene
On the roads no longer green.
Categories: Poet's Corner
Runner's Gazette 
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