This poem is the first-place winner in the 2024 Vox Poetry Contest.
Autumn Signs
by Adara O’Neil
The red and yellow apples fall to earth,
And soon are moldy putrid fruit. And thanks
From hornets, loving squashy things. No dearth
For wasps, who soon will join the sleeping ranks.
The pumpkins in the garden, small and green,
They need time to orange before the frost.
Upon the vines deer snack, fear being lean,
For soon comes cold. Fawns gather close, not lost.
The flowers of the sun, petals grown brown.
Their shiny black seeds, large and ripe to steal.
Birds come to feast, a chirping tweeting town
While munching food, each icy gust they feel.
The signs I see, they tell what soon shall be,
I harvest wood and brew a cup of tea.
About the Poet: Adara is currently in high school, the third eldest of nine, and enjoys good books and the great outdoors.
Read More from the 2024 Vox Poetry Contest