Autumn
By Joan Mitchell

The rusty leaves crunch and crackle,
Blue haze hangs from the dimmed sky,
The fields are matted with sun-tanned stalks –
Wind rushes by.
 
The last red berries hang from the thorn-tree,
The last red leaves fall to the ground.
Bleakness, through the trees and bushes,
Comes without sound.

 
The author of this poem, Joan Mitchell (1925-1992), was a graduate of Smith College who was best known for her Expressionist paintings. Born in Chicago, she later moved to New York and eventually settled in Vetheuil, France. While Mitchell was not known for her poetry, her mother was a poet, and Mitchell’s paintings were described “more like poetry” - there’s something to the conflation of the two medium, poetry and works on paper. And what makes the above poem stand out is that Joan Mitchell wrote and published it (Poetry, December 1935) when she was just a child of 10 years old! 
 
Reading this poem with the knowledge that it was written by a child gives the reader a new perspective. Children, as we know, are observant, curious, and gifted. The children around the campus grounds and woods could very likely share a similar observation this time of year about the “rusty leaves” that “crunch and crackle.” In Waldorf schools, we strive to bring the artistic into everything we do, so that the students learn in a way that resonates with them through thinking, feeling, and doing. 
 
As the autumn leaves begin to fall and the days turn colder, we know that winter is soon on the horizon. In our community, we have several special days that mark out calendars as winter approaches, and we celebrate them as festival days. Upcoming next week, we will bring back our beloved Halloween celebration for the youngest children, when we celebrate in school as well as on the night of Halloween. The path to the bridge will be decorated with glowing Jack O’Lanterns, first picked by the high school students, then carved by the grades 1-8 children, where they might have a chance to see Baba Yaga herself! 
 
In early November, as the days continue to grow shorter and the air becomes crisp and cold, we will celebrate another favorite festival - Martinmas. That evening, the grades 1-3 children will perform the traditional pageant, followed by a walk through the woods, illuminated by hundreds of luminaries. At the Swim Pond, we will join together to sing and to watch the sky lanterns as the light drifts off above the hills. 
 
In early December, we plan to bring back our Yuletide Fair. That first Saturday of December, our school is transformed into a Winter Wonderland, where young children can fetch a treat from the Pocket Person, when everyone can be inspired by the Gingerbread House collection in our Hall, and when wandering minstrels make merry throughout our school grounds. 
 
As we prepare for these festivals (just to name a few - there are more throughout the fall and winter!) - we at the school are so happy that we can once again open our doors to the community in a way that we have not been able to in the past few years. We also know that, as the last of the autumn leaves fall to the ground, that winter’s chill will often keep us indoors, somewhat apart from one another. Until Spring comes again and we celebrate the warmth of the sun and being together again at our Mayday!
 
Wishing you moments of sweet observations of “the last red berries” with a child that you love. And glowing warmth as the days grow longer and colder!

Meaghan McKenna
Lower School Chair