Normal

November has been mild, again
we're not used to the cold anymore
this is how it should be
how it always was before
I said that the leaves had more colour
dropped sooner, quicker, more completely
than last year
my friend couldn't remember
who would?
normal is just what we're used to now
not what went before
we older ones recall
picking blackberries after school
when summer stretched only to September
now we can eat blackberries from hedges
after Bonfire Night
when Christmas consumes the TV
and geese fly in from the east
in gaggles of grey clouds

~

CLP 22/11/2021