What do you see # 361- 5 October, 2026

I Can Smell Autumn in the Air

I can smell autumn in the air.

Funny how a photograph
can do that.

One moment I am looking at a picture,
and the next
I am back in Norway.

The mountains rise before me,
their highest peaks already touched by snow,
while autumn paints the trees
in gold and amber.

I know that air.

Cold enough to colour your cheeks,
clean enough to fill your lungs
and make you breathe a little deeper.

I know those wooden huts too.

After hours of walking through the mountains,
carrying everything you need on your back,
there is something wonderful
about finally reaching one.

Nothing luxurious.

Just shelter.
Warmth.
A place to put down the backpack,
rest tired feet
and listen to the silence outside.

I’ve slept in huts like these
on so many mountain trips.

And perhaps that’s why this photograph
doesn’t make me wonder
where the man is going.

Instead, it makes me remember
where I’ve been.

The crunch beneath my boots.
The scent of damp earth and fallen leaves.
The cold mountain air.
The quiet that isn’t really quiet at all —
wind moving through the trees,
perhaps water somewhere in the distance,
and nature settling into another season.

So many years can pass,
and life can carry us far away.

Yet sometimes all it takes
is one photograph
to open an old wooden door.

And suddenly,

I can smell autumn
in the Norwegian mountains
again.

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#WhatDoYouSee #WDYS

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With love, coffee, poetry, and stardust,

— Maggie The Afterlove Voice 💫

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My song is out on streaming platforms 🎵

https://ditto.fm/silenced-but-not-broken

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DJ Maggie in the house 🎧

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If you want a reading, send me an email:

Afterlove-Voice@hotmail.com

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