weak at the knees

in wonder at leaf abscission,
at tree’s knowing before let-go,
with chemical scissors snipping
all but tiny tubes for leafglow,
to self-scar against winterharsh
for when wind, water, and weight prompt
the snap and dance of pop-and-drop.

—dotty seiter

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Notes about poem and art:
Today’s poem and art are all of an intertwined piece, with one thing’s leading to another. My starting points: the Joy Journal made for me by MaryAnn and a 3 x 3″ color grid I’d made to test products to seal the color grid tiles I sent to Caroline at camp. In the JJ I found a 3 x 4″ card printed by dept. store for the mind with the words WEAK AT THE KNEES on its front.
• I decided to write a poem for the words “weak at the knees.” The wonder of the life cycle of deciduous trees, about which I’d recently learned a bit of science, presented itself saying, “Let’s see whatcha got.” Because I wanted to print my poem and fit it on the back of the small card, I opted for demi-sonnet form (7 lines of free verse with an ending couplet holding rhyme). I upped the ante by adding further constraints: stay scientifically true to the science of abscission (mechanics involved in annual shedding of leaves) using a poet’s voice rather than a botanist’s; give each line only eight syllables; infuse straight and slant rhyme where both possible and natural-sounding. SO MUCH FUN! The challenge of the limitations was significant, highly engaging, and sparked invention and word-choices that would otherwise have remained off stage.
• The art is untitled. I started with the 3 x 3″ test color grid, adding linework to the swatches to hint at autumn leaves. Then I trimmed the grid tightly to what I thought it needed in order to fit in the inner pocket of the JJ card, discovering, however, that it required smaller dimensions than anticipated. So, off to the paper trimmer to create three strips instead!