Helen Hunt Jackson was a poet and a political activist. Her poem, SEPTEMBER, seems to perfectly reflect the changing landscape in the Finger Lakes of New York State as summer fades and the beautiful fields and tree covered hills prepare themselves for the coming winter months. From the third verse to the seventh verse of her poem SEPTEMBER:
“The sedges flaunt their harvest,
In every meadow nook;
And asters by the brook-side
Make asters in the brook,
From dewy lanes at morning
The grapes’ sweet odors rise;
At noon the roads all flutter
With yellow butterflies.
By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With the summer’s best of weather,
And autumn’s best of cheer.”
Very soon the vibrant colors of September will briefly explode into the reds, yellows, and greens of dying leaves, followed by the tans and browns of fallen leaves. It’s summer’s finale in the Finger Lakes.
James R. Bupp