After the northern Rockies’ first frost,
Nature conducts
her autumnal symphony one section
at a time.
The green forest modifies
one mountain maple Acer glabrum leaf
yellow-orange
as subtle as a xylophone’s soft chime.
The staccato piccolo notes tremolo,
as limb by limb bleed crimson-red.
Flutes paint each mountain ash Sorbus scopulina scarlet,
and the rest of the woodwind section kicks in.
Mountain Huckleberry Vaccinium membranaceum leaves blush burgundy red-wine.
Oboes then clarinets direct the onset
of chardonnay-colored thimbleberry Rubus parviflorus plants
beneath the Engelman Spruce Picea Englemanii and Douglas Fir Pseudotsuga menziesii stands.
The first movement slowly dies
as bassoons bruise
Grouseberry Vaccinium scoparium plants purple.
Autumn’s orchestra ebbs and flows.
Second movement, trumpets proclaim
the flickering yellow in the quaking aspen Populus tremuloides grove green.
Rising cornets, French horns, and brass
quake each leaf there butter-yellow.
The string section strums
the black cottonwoods Populus trichocarpa mustard and cinnamon-scented,
and green laced western red cedar Thuja plicata
deaden reddish-brown as the cellos go low.
The percussion section crescendoes
as western tamarack Larix occidentalis march across ridges
and parade down river valleys.
Their green, rubbery needles change.
Hillsides light up one after another like luminaries
until the woodwinds and brass section return
in full force one gust more, blowing
tinsel-like needles that gingerly fall
in slowing tempo, soft yellow blankets on the ground.
While ice gathers in the shallows of creeks and rivers,
the choir’s voices and the ensemble
culminates the closing cadence.
Ushers guide the audience in riffles down the aisle
in preparation for the quiet onset of winter to come.
Benjamin Alva Polley lives in Missoula, Montana. He is currently in graduate school for Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource Journalism at the University of Montana. His work has been published in Esquire, Canoe & Kayak, Lake Superior Magazine, Whitefish Review, Written River, Black Heart Magazine, Flathead Living, Medium, Montana Headwall and in other publications. He is one of the Associate Editors of the Whitefish Review.
—Art by So-Ghislaine
Nike air jordan Sneakers | New Balance 530 “White” MR530SG – MR530SG