Catch the changing note

Fall seems to happen before we recognize it, just like a little Libra, who springs adulthood and outward-looking compassion on us. Before scarlet can register in our mental palate it scampers of. Before realizing what has happened, layers of clothing take their superlatives: shirts to the 3rd power, skirts squared, and whispers of sandals to the 5th. I'm baking apples today, freezing meat, sewing dresses; a mini eruption of store-away instinct. Warmed now by what lies inside my being, rather than what radiates to me, I'm watching Nature peel away and recede to the secret places just beyond reach.

I think it's not so strange a thing to want to be asked, not so strange either to want to give, and probably terribly sane to want to feel safe. Even now I'm sighing at the relief these three admissions grant. As things are kicking up around me, I suddenly remember Athena, and old friend. Her cool, calm eyes, her steadfastness, her blend of valor and femininity. I see her helm resting on piles of curls, and her spear at the ready, and I hear a little call, a change in note from the one that helped me blaze a new path through the thicket. Understand mistakes, and forgive yourself, for there is always Justice, and It operates in the most beautiful way. Remembering Athena, a wise woman who vigilantly watches, who is ready to defend good choices made.

Statue: Myron Athena, Photo: Liebieghaus Skulpturensammlung