[Mary Boren]

Hi Christine.

Just chiming in to join the chorus of likes before this one slips off the page. And what's not to like? A message after my own heart, delivered in pluperfect meter with skillfully employed enjambment, punctuation, repetition, and occasional exclamatory short sentences to control momentum. And an innovative interlocking rhyme scheme to boot, or if it's a known form one I don't recall encountering before. I'm sorry I don't have a useful critique, but really don't see how it could be improved. "Not all bad" works fine for me, since fall gets a bad rap for its illusion of bleakness, but the unseen metamorphosis at work below the surface is what energizes me at this time of year. My favorite bit is that vivid opening image of the corners of sky closing around while the season tucks itself in. I'll be coming back to study your technique every chance I get.

Mary