Poems Niederngasse
Susan Constable
September's Palette

Early morning serves a bowl of blue sea
sprinkled with sailboats and whitecaps
under a smooth sky, pale as a blue dress shirt.
On my outdoor table, a Wedgwood platter
presents the final harvest of strawberries
and purple plums. Bright sunshine erases
my blue mood and last night's dream.
I listen to Bacharach's Magic Moments,
hum along to Walk on By and Blue Guitar,

work my way through the day. After dinner
I lean on the patio railing, sip orange pekoe,
nibble dried apricots, watch the setting sun.
Flames of yellow, orange and red radiate
from the horizon, burn the sky with kumquat
and mandarin. In the garden, orange berries
cluster on mountain ash, rusty orange marigolds
glow florescent. A marmalade cat scoots
under the Pyracantha, up and over the fence -
steals away in silence, disappears in the dusk.

round II, poem 30, 21 September 2005
Susan Constable has received recognition for her writing in several Canadian poetry contests. Her work has appeared online with Poems Niederngasse, Dana Literary Society, and Tickled by Thunder, and will soon be up on Lily and Penwomanship. She has also been published in various print magazines, including Island Writers, Quill, and Tower Poetry. She lives with her husband on Canada's west coast.