On this second Monday in November, when the weather is becoming colder and we are already pre-empting winter, at the dVerse Poets Pub we are writing Prosery, the very short piece of prose or flash fiction that tells a story with a beginning, middle and end. It can be in any genre of your choice, but it does have a limit of 144 words; an additional challenge is to hit 144 exactly. The special thing about Prosery is that we give you a complete line or two from a poem, which must be included somewhere in your story, within the 144-word limit. You must use the lines in their original order, however you may play with the punctuation so that your prose makes sense.

I thought it would be good time to read another poem about November, which I did back in 2023 with a poem by Rita Dove entitled ‘November for Beginners’, which you can read here.

In my search for a new November poem, I came across this beauty by Robert Frost, ‘My November Guest’, in which the ‘guest’ is a personification of sorrow, who thinks November’s grey skies and empty fields are beautiful. This poem resonates with me, as a fan of autumn.

My November Guest
by Robert Frost

My sorrow, when she’s here with me,
     Thinks these dark days of autumn rain
Are beautiful as days can be;
She loves the bare, the withered tree;
     She walks the sodden pasture lane.

Her pleasure will not let me stay.
     She talks and I am fain to list:
She’s glad the birds are gone away,
She’s glad her simple worsted grey
     Is silver now with clinging mist.

The desolate, deserted trees,
     The faded earth, the heavy sky,
The beauties she so truly sees,
She thinks I have no eye for these,
     And vexes me for reason why.

Not yesterday I learned to know
     The love of bare November day
Before the coming of the snow,
But it were vain to tell her so,
     And they are better for her praise.

This poem is in the public domain.

I have chosen the following lines to include in your prose:

“Not yesterday I learned to know
     The love of bare November days
Before the coming of the snow”

Here’s how to take part in Prosery:

• Write a piece of flash fiction (NOT a poem) of up to or exactly 144 words, including the given line in the order in which it has been given. You may add or change punctuation, but you may not add words in between the given ones.
• Post your Prosery on your blog and link back to this post.
• Link it up to our Mr. Linky.
• Don’t forget to check the little box to accept use/privacy policy.
• Visit other blogs. Enjoy some amazing writing, remember to comment – and have fun.
• If you miss the link, which closes before Thursday, you can share your poem at Open Link Night.