The red and orange colored trees during fall at Linfield College, my alma mater.

It is officially fall. The rain has certainly made its way back to the Northwest, though it held down a pretty frequent residency this summer.

Many leaves have already began to fall. I see them and feel their crunch on my runs through town.

The air is crisper, especially on the dew drenched mornings when the sun peeks out from behind the clouds to offers its warmth.

The distinct quieting atmosphere the season brings always awakens my memories of falls past. Recent memories take me back to upstate New York with the the large falling leaves there, the trees that look like a paint brush has colored them red, yellow and orange. I also remember many early mornings trudging through fallen leaves to swimming practice at Linfield College in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.

Fall is a wonderful time for reflection — on where you’ve been, what you’ve accomplished and what you’d still like to do before the start of the new year.

What better way to make sense of these thoughts than through poems related to fall?

There is still time submit your poem for the Oct. 10 issue of Coast Weekend. You can send your poems of no more than 100 words to jwilliams@dailyastorian.com by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 1, to be included. Readers are also welcome to submit an illustration with their poem.

And remember, you don’t have to be a published poet to submit your work!

Fall brings many feelings, and this is your chance to share your fall thoughts through poetry.