November

If I could paint November would I paint it brown or gray, or the deepest shade of burnt umber to announce that Winter's on its way? How do you paint a time of year that left Summer far behind, and left October standing in the cold would you paint it selfish or unkind? How do you paint the North Wind as it rushes through the trees, or the magic of a whirlwind stirring a thousand decaying leaves? And could you paint the night sky with its crispness and its chill? For it would take a thousand shades of blue and a thousand more shades still. And how do you paint the water flowing through an ice-choked stream? Gainsboro? Silver? Spanish Gray? Or hues of a Xanadu dream? And how do you paint the blur of geese flying southward from the cold, as they hasten their journey to find a place where the sun is forever gold. And how do you paint the shivering haze hovering eerily over the land? Is it a silvery mist? An atmospheric blush? Or part of Nature's gray sleight-of-hand? Yes, how you do paint November? What secret does anyone know? And what do you use for the canvas? The white of a fresh early snow? copyright © 2019 Gregory Firlotte