Different Slants

Seeing the World from a New Angle

And I Roll With My Dog in the Leaves

Filed under: Uncategorized — Bob at 5:58 pm on Thursday, November 18, 2021

By Robert M. Katzman © November 18, 2018

What I will soon miss

The musty fragrance

The quiet and diverse crackle

That they group together seemingly for warmth

That the overwhelming beauty is so transitory

Leaves in Autumn beseech us to pay attention

“Be not so busy as to watch us flow by you”

I never rake them, but watch them crumble

Become part of next Spring’s replenished Earth

Feeding the young ones who are so hungry

Sometimes I burn a bushel, a small crime

But I stand over them as the smoke envelopes my head

I breathe deeply of the delicious smoke,

Feel its taste on my tongue

And for a very short moment

I am a child again on the South Side of Chicago

Running through the endless piles of burning leaves

Stacked against the concrete curb

Stretching down the long block from 87th Street

The wavering smoke attached

To my clothes

My face

My hair

Seeking the right words

Is challenging my ability

To capture emotion

In a bottle like fireflies

My young dog Smokey runs after me

His pink tongue flowing past his black gums

Until I suddenly stop

Scoop up my wonderful pet

Race to masses of unburned leaves

Under the thick tall maples

Now naked against wind

And I roll with my dog in the leaves

And just for this moment

As the new Autumn smoke 

Fills my old self

I am once again young

And happy

*******************

Publishing News!

(Currently seeking representation as a speaker/poet for hire)

Bob Katzman’s two new true Chicago books are now for sale, from him!
Vol. One: A Savage Heart and Vol. Two: Fighting Words

Gritty, violent, friendship, classic American entrepreneurship love, death, heartbreak and the real dirt about surviving in a completely corrupt major city under the Chicago Machine. More history and about one man’s life than a person may imagine.

Please visit my new website: http://www.dontgoquietlypress.com
If a person doesn’t want to use PayPaI, I also have a PO Box & I ship anywhere in America.

Send me a money order with your return and contact info.
I will get your books to you within ten days.
Here’s complete information on how to buy my books:

Vol 1: A Savage Heart and Vol. 2: Fighting Words
My books weigh almost 2 pounds each, with about 525 pages each and there are a total together of 79 stories and story/poems.

Robert M. Katzman
Don’t Go Quietly Press
PO Box 44287
Racine, Wis. 53404-9998 (262)752-3333, 8AM–7PM

Books cost $29.95 each, plus shipping

For: (1) $3.95; (2) $5.95; (3) $7.95; (4) $8.95 (5) $9.95;(6) $10.95

(7) $11.95; (8) $12.95; (9) $13.95 (10) $15.95 (15) $19.95

I am also for hire if anyone wants me to read my work and answer questions in the Chicago/Milwaukee area. Schools can call me for quantity discounts for 30 or more books. Also: businesses, bookstores, private organizations or churches and so on.

My two latest books are available in the Racine Wis Public Library. Both books are labeled: 921 KAT. ROB on their spines, in autobiography Dept. 

Signed Books are also for sale at: 

Studio Moonfall Bookstore, 5031 7th St. Kenosha, Wis, email: hello@studiomoonfall

3 Comments »

Comment by Bernard White

November 18, 2021 @ 7:22 pm

Bob, this is achingly beautiful on so many levels. A classic Autumn poem. the love in this poem. for the leaves, the air, the smoke, the fall, the spring, the dogs… the whole of this brief and precious life. thank you cousin brother.

Comment by Brad Dechter

November 19, 2021 @ 6:56 am

Ahh, we all have those triggers that bring us back to our carefree, happier, younger days. Thanks for allowing me a trip also. Your words invoked a treasure of memories- adding apples and potatoes to the burning stack of leaves in our alley – a stack so big because of the huge tree in our backyard- the smell of the smoke, keeping my dog Frisky away from the fire so she didn’t hurt herself, my dog Frisky who used to follow the mailman around the neighborhood and lived to be like 23 years old. Bob- you just caused me to think of all this.
How successful was this essay of yours?

Comment by Beth

November 19, 2021 @ 8:29 am

Thanks for the memories, Bob. Jumping in those huge leaf piles was a blast for us. I still like raking leaves. Once again, your words brought a smile to my face.

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