This morning I made an appointment for two weeks out and realized it will already be December. Kafka wrote a short story (A Common Confusion) with the message that, when we pay attention to it, time drags, but when we have our minds otherwise occupied, it hurtles past us.

A couple of weeks ago I was at an office supply store and picked up a new Day-Timer for 2014…another surreal experience that has made me quite aware of the passage of time .

Today, I invite you to consider calendars. You might want to look at your own Planner from 2013, choose a day and let it tell you a story. Or maybe, check out a wall calendar and let the art speak out to you (I’m looking at a little-known painting by van Gogh as I write this.) Consider time. What messages do you receive from the changing seasons? If you’re into astrology, perhaps you will find inspiration in one of the signs…your own or a loved one’s? How has the passing of the years (otherwise known as aging) affected or changed you?

The tree outside my window reminds me that the season of autumn is winding down. Only a few leaves are toughing out the blustery wind that’s blowing in from over Donner Pass while the heartier birds are snacking on the ornamental pears that remain on the branches. We expect snow in the Sierra Nevada tonight and maybe even a dusting here on the valley floor (we got it). Ski resorts are gearing up and hoping for a better season than the last few years of drought have delivered and those who love the sport are buffing up, building up those quads that they’ll need to fly down Squaw Mountain or Northstar at Tahoe.

So settle back with your tablet and a cuppa in front of the fireplace, or, if you’re lucky enough to be welcoming warm weather, on a beach (don’t forget the sunscreen), and allow the calendar to lead you where it will. We can’t avoid the passage of time, so we might as well face it.

If you need a reminder, here’s how to join in:

• Write your poem and post it on your blog or website;

• Click on Mr. Linky at the bottom of this post and enter your name and the direct URL of your post.

• Come to the pub and visit other poets’ work. Take time to comment and while you’re at it, order up something to soothe your spirit.

• Have fun and spread the word to your poet friends.

For dVerse Poets’ Pub, this is Victoria, happy to be your hostess. My poetry collection, Jacaranda Rain, Collected Poems, 2012, is now available in print form at Amazon.com