Where I live, Autumn is all colors and cool weather and lots and lots of raking the yard. Autumn is when the bugs slowly die away and I can lie down on the hammock outside and swing in the breeze and watch the leaves drift down through the air. Autumn is drizzling skies and dark, heavy clouds and annoyingly bright days with blue above your head for as far as you can see. Autumn is chasing away squirrels who try to plant their acorns in your yard one too many times. Autumn is beautiful in a less traditional way than blossoming spring or delicate summer or harsh winter; it is beautiful because of the contradiction between the bright, warm colors and the sharp, bare outlines of trees against the sky. Autumn is going on hour-long walks and coming home to a fireplace all warm and ready for you.

I don't usually do haikus, so I apologize if it isn't too good, but here it goes:

Gold, red, orange, brown

Nature embracing the change

That gives way to winter

Ooo, I love Autumn. 

For me, it's wet leaves underfoot, and brilliant, vibrant ones on the trees. By now, the leaves have almost all fallen. The trees are looking more bare, and soon the foliage on the sidewalk will be mush, and then it will be gone, as the Autumn season fades to Winter. For now, I want to remember those days where the leaves smelled fabulous in the rain, and the trees were covered in bursts of gold, amber, and red, while the raindrops drip-dropped off of them. Pumpkins on the porch. Sugar skulls, apple cider, warm scarves. A sleepy cat sits in the window, staring at the scene from an orange blanket. A fire crackles in the fireplace, and a warm cup of tea sits on a coaster. When you pull on your boots and step outside, it may or may not be raining. A gentle breeze tickles your hair. When you walk into the woods, it's like everything else is forgotten. A tunnel of beautiful leaves and trees. Ferns popping up along the side. The evergreen trees loom in the distance, a reminder that this won't last forever, so savor it.

Here, autumns are clean grey skies, crisp cool air. Except, sometimes the skies are bright blue with clouds floating lazily across the sky and the sun beats down on you relentlessly, deciding to forget it's autumn and give us a bit of July weather.

Autumn is split into halves, here, the summer days and the winter days. It doesn't rain, mostly, but sometimes the weather decides to give us a small drizzle.

Autumns are a refreshing burst of cold wind after the dry heat of the summer breezes, but it's also dry Santa Ana winds and, in the beginning, coughing on smoke and hearing about how the universe has set your state on fire.

It's the air quality being too bad to go outside, it's raining ash, sometimes.

But it's also a prelude to winter, a windy breath of fresh air. It's standing on the porch in the dark, letting the wind just wash over you. It's thinking it's raining, but really, it's just winding so hard you can hear it and see it and feel it.

It's when the leaves don't fall, it's when they just stick to the trees stubbornly, sometimes skipping over red and yellow and orange and turning straight to a wilted mess of brown.

Sometimes, it's just the leaves staying the exact seem dusty green.

Autumn is unchanged

But it's change, at the same time

It's caught in-between 

(haha that was awful) 

Autumn, here

First we beg for a month or so,

sick of the summer heat,

dragging itself out

at least in the South.

Then one morning,

you wake up to frost on the grass

and notice the trees are turning

colors! yellow, red, muted orange

mixed in with the green

shining golden in the sunlight

on this blue-skied day.

Heater's on, and you can smell

the unmistakable 

crisp Autumn morning. 

Walks in the woods,

flannel shirts,

jumping in a leaf pile with my dog. 

It's the beginning

of that brief time of year

which is, I believe, my favorite. 

This is more about the excitement of early autumn, which is over (although I'm still enjoying it!) but it was fun to write. 

Where I live, autum usually means brisk, breezy weather, jeans and T-shirts, puling jackets out of storage. Autumn is when I have to help my dad rake the yard nearly once a week, since the trees in our yard shed their leaves at varying times. Autumn is raking leaves into a pile under our "climbing tree" and jumping out of the tree into the pile. Autumn is taking down the pool and jumping on the trampoline every day. Autumn means colors, and driving with my family to state parks to see the beautiful leaves. At least, that's what it normally means. This autumn, though, it means cold thick jackets, snow and ice. This year autumn is taking my dog on walks where he gets so cold, I have to carry him halfway. This year, autumn is staying inside all the time and rarely traveling. This year, it means masks, political unrest, conspiracy theories, signs on front lawns, my friends taking up political stances, and not being able to see any of my friends. Haiku:

Masks, no friends, no school,

Suffocated by the snow,

Spending time at home

But at least I get to spend lots and lots of time with my family! And my parents are doing their best to keep my and my 4 siblings entertained. Just yesterday we drove on a nearly 80-min round trip just to get donuts! 

Also welcome back to the CB Raven!! I look forwards to seeing you again on here :)

autumn is the quiet stillness that only comes one time a year. a time where i feel at peace. the autumnal colors calm my mind and warm my soul. when my friends wait for Christmas, i yearn for Halloween, for corn mazes, for curling up next to a rainy window with a good book. autumn is my happy place. 

autumn is when i go frog searching with my friend, and when we sit by the river and bask in the golden silence. autumn is the cabin in the woods that i go to with my family, the owls calls disturbing the dead night. autumn is a mystery i wish i could drown in.

autumn is when i help my aunt with her samhain festivities. autumn is the forest behind her house, surrounded by wind chimes and pumpkins. 

the forest is still,

golden and ripe with color,

at last, it's quiet 

I live in North Carolina, so our weather is crazy. A few days ago I was wearing short sleeves. Now I'm wearing a sweater.

For me, Autumn is pumpkins, a breeze blowing my hair in my face, and leaves falling all around me. Autumn is dressing up and getting candy, baking in the kitchen with flour everywhere. For me, Autumn is blue skies with with a chilly breeze. Autumn is decorating in orange and red, Autumn is cozying up by the fireplace.

I love making haikus. Sure, I'll do one!

The leaves are falling.

Floured apron and pastries.

Warm fire crackling.

I love autumn/fall! The weather is one of the best parts for me. Where I live, it's like in the perfect middle temperature leaning a tiny bit to he chilly side. The leaves change to yellow, red, and orange, and then after a while they  turn brown. Our grass is brownish yellow now too. I also like it because there aren't as many bugs. There are still yellow jackets though, which I don't like. Also, welcome back!