Autumn in London marks itself by its absence. The leaves are yellow, orange, gold and brown for just a few days before the wind strips the trees bare. But the leaves meet water puddles and for some hours, the collage of warm colours melts in the eyes. Leaves are stuck in the wipers of cars. The frizz in my hair wakes in the ten minutes of dry between drizzles.
On such days, Rilke must be read. Part of Herbsstag (Autumn Day) as translated by Stephen Mitchell.
Whoever has no house now, will never have one.
Whoever is alone will stay alone,
will sit, read, write long letters through the evening,
and wander along the boulevards, up and down,
restlessly, while the dry leaves are blowing.
Heading back home, I am suddenly glad that my cameraphone allows me to grasp this fleeting autumn. How else am I to remember exactly what this afternoon felt like.
oooh, ooh, ooh. this is so lovely. autumn is my favourite time. i love watching the leaves change colour and fall to the ground. i love the sound they make under my feet. i treasure an old arial shot my dad took somewhere in NY hundreds of years ago, of a thicket with multi-hued leaves.
bah. bombay has no seasons. i want my delhi back :D
What a lovely post, Neha love love. You strike at heartstrings and strike true, I am speaking as a had-been once a veena player. Rilke is a familiar friend, but thanks for the links.
Now you have memories, and photos and a pst to remember with, so you are richer.
Great photo. The color play was incredible. Original or some touching up ? ;-)
Surprised no one mentioned it, but that’s one wicked post title :) If only you had a picture of a cow to go with it.
n: Bombay has rain. Bombay has humid. Bombay has rain. Bombay has humid.. etc. :)
Lalita: Muchly richer.
Ashish: Original. Just cropped it a little. There’s only so much perspective allowed on a cameraphone.
km: Lovely post title isn’t it? Cow chewing autumn leaves?
Ooh that photo is bloody brilliant! You really have a talent for photography. stunning.
you do know that the rain and humidity mostly coicide to creat somming prtty murky? no, kidding, Bombay is quite pleasant most of the time. But i really do miss autumn