Ken Allan Dronsfield Returns!

On a frigid day like today, Ken Allan Dronsfield takes us back to autumn when cold was an enjoyable novelty!


Sleep With Dead Grass

Chilled tired bones
steamy breath follows
crispy red apples drop
oak firewood stacked,

walk the dying fields
sleep with dead grass.

Colored leaves release
spinning down to ground
unpacked winter clothes
fill dresser and closets,

walk the dying fields
asleep in dead grass.

Autumn's song plays
a freshness of spirit
feel a harvest solstice
life's circle goes round,

I walk a dying field,
sleeping in dead grass.

Lyrical Swell

Starlight stirs my coffee
the moon a soft croissant
lilac or lace win my flavor
new tidal ebb in accession
impassioned lyrical swells.
suns haze of dusty rhythm
biscuits await upon a doily
a black tea steeps alone.

With Charcoal Black

                            i
Today I'll travel to the swamp and wood
to do a little autumn sketching for my
painting projects during the cold winter.
As I pack my thermos and bag, I see
snail trails leaving the autumn garden.

                              ii
Cooler breezes beget browner grasses;
lichen and moss cover the old stone wall,
I swear a little chipmunk ran by just now.
Crows are busy in their murder covens.
The songbirds leave daily for warm skies.

                               iii
Smells of the forest still musty and damp
colored leaves fall, a winters quilt woven
Ice sheets now form in the ponds as geese
happily swim throughout coolish waters.
Frogs and turtles hibernate until spring.

                                 iv
A puff on the pipe, and a sip from the flask,
take out my sketch pad from the canvas bag.
Deer moving through the hemlock swamp.
It's time to capture, using a charcoal black,
the precious moments on this autumn day.

The Garnet's Glow

Strumming the guitar
well past midnight
the melody sounds raw
like the tips of my fingers
one more whiskey shot;
music flowing nicely
a night of reflection
with the garnet Fender.
dial the amp to low
or neighbors will bang;
drum beats on the wall,
keeping a steady beat
think I'll play Hendrix,
'all along the watchtower'
but perhaps a little Floyd,
just 'comfortably numb.'

Blues in a Harvest Moon

Humming the blues as the moon swayed;
Ella Fitzgerald moved me with "Summertime".
Echos of the great Louis Armstrong with his
magic voice sang "What a Wonderful World"
BB King serenaded while stroking "Lucille".
Those days of listening to that old AM radio
as Nat King Cole crooned us with "Stardust".
Thanks to YouTube, for indulging memories
allowing my reflection to Nights in White Satin
while enjoying the sounds of a life gone by.

Ken Allan Dronsfield is a poet who was nominated for The Best of the Net and 2 Pushcart Awards for Poetry in 2016. His poetry has been published world-wide in various publications throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. His work has appeared in The Burningword Journal, Belle Reve Journal, Setu Magazine, The Literary Hatchet Magazine, The Stray Branch, Now/Then Manchester Magazine, Bewildering Stories, Scarlet Leaf Review. EMBOSS Magazine and many more. Ken loves thunderstorms, walking in the woods at night, and spending time with his cat Willa. Ken's new book, "The Cellaring", a collection of haunting, paranormal, weird and wonderful poems, has been released and is available through Amazon.com. He is the co-editor of two poetry anthologies, Moonlight Dreamers of Yellow Haze and Dandelion in a Vase of Roses available from Amazon.com.

I have to start the music with Nat King Cole's version of "Autumn Leaves": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEMCeymW1Ow

Let's continue with "Concierto de Aranjuez" from Miles Davis' "Sketches of Spain":  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvcU_v8ruGE

The guitarist Buckethead performs his version of a song from Sketches of Spain:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFZnAO7_Mzw

I'll finish with Ella's "Summertime" and a song by B.B. King.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XivELBdxVRM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Y8QxOjuYHg

Enjoy!