This poem was inspired on a Number 2 bus to Haitaitai. It is dedicated to all the summer-loving people who suffer greatly when the winter descends.
Autumnal Delirium
“People are getting sick!
Are you getting sick?”
I’ve met people this week who are getting sick.
Getting sick because of the cold,
And the rain.
The rain makes people sick-
Their temperatures rise
when the cold blows in.
And you can’t get away from the wind
The rain, the wind, the cold.
The coughing.
The dark nights, they wear people down.
Not enough light to see other people
That type of loneliness happens in the dark.
Too much loneliness is like too much rain,
It makes people sick.
They bow their heads and their necks disappear
in large heavy coats
as they walk into the cold dark nights.
To wait out the winter,
Waiting to get better
When the sun comes back and
they can recover from
their Autumnal delirium.
Angele Toomey Poetry 