When exactly did these
feathery green leaves
of summer
transform into rainbows?

I could get lost
in their colors
crouching low
breathing in
the mix of autumn’s
changes.

What else do we miss
when we simply walk past?

_{~ Kate McKinney}

Birch leaves collect,
curled edges folding into
one another,
light and shadows turning
scattered shapes
into glorious sculptures.

_{~ Kate McKinney}

What would it be like
to climb right into
those branches
with all that red and green
so close?
Would it feel like sitting
in the middle of
an orchestra?
Those complementary
colors
sending out
visual vibrations?

_{~ Kate McKinney}

A painter’s delight—
purple asters in afternoon
sunlight

When clouds float past,
they add hues
of dusty gray
and deep blue shadows
below.

A tiny, tattered
oak seedling can withstand
wind
and takes its time
turning red.
Change can take its toll,
but each year,
this little one
grows.

_{~ Kate McKinney}

My Book

WHEN TO HOLD ON is a girl-meets-girl YA verse novel and draws from its setting in the Driftless Area the way roots draw water from the ground.

Indie Bound // Barnes&Noble // Amazon

Brynn Bailey, a quiet teen, always preferred the sound of the creek over talking, and that becomes even more true as she struggles to accept the recent death of her mother. Then she meets Zoe who seems to have all the words in the world, and Brynn wishes she knew what to say. As long as it’s not about her grief. But unspoken words have a way of stacking up, like bills on a counter. Soon, she is at risk of losing both love and the only place she calls home. To save them, she’ll need to learn when to listen and when to speak up, when to let go and when to hold on.

A Sneak Peek into the Novel

THE PAINTER

“I like to paint,”
she offers

which is just enough
to transform my silence into a question:

“What do you like to paint?”

Thankfully, it gets her talking instead.

She tucks a frizzy curl behind one ear.
“For me…it’s more about the way
I see whatever I’m painting. I try to
get up close
or pick an unusual angle. Try to see
what others might miss.
I use lots of color because
even grass isn’t just green. It’s also
yellow and brown, blue and purple,
even pink.”

_{~ Kate McKinney, WHEN TO HOLD ON}

I’ll leave you with one last image—a river birch with blue sky peeking between yellow leaves.

Happy Autumn!