Autumn Unmasked - a poem

When the last vestiges of heavy summer

have fled from the hills and fields

and old leaves litter the ground

like the ashes of a great bonfire

When the tree’s last lingering leaves

cling desperately to its deadened boughs

rustling in the crisp cool autumn air

until the wind plucks them from their perch

and they wander slowly towards the earth

when brisk and cloudy mornings give way

to dreary nights of cold dark drizzle

and the trees are bent over in shadow

like aged men full of pain

yet the hearts of the trees are glad

and they sing under the grey formless clouds

the fiery foliage mourns not

for summers gone by

nor for springtime, full of birth and blooming

the rustle and crunch of leaves underfoot

holds rather an air of whispered excitement

the chill breeze full of hope and promise

and all nature stands in awe

of Mother’s bravery and insight

for she knows all too well

the danger of clinging to summer greens

until the last flower has wilted and died

and things that once were fair and pure

wither and rot in the moist heat of afternoon sun

Rather she casts down the living stems

at the peak of their life and luster

painting them gold and orange and red

as a proud testimony to her power and might

and the trees are not afraid

in anxious anticipation they wait

sleeping under their cold white blankets

hiding their excitement from the world

until Mother says the time is right

for flowers to push up from damp earth

and young green leaves to sprout

in new and varied forms and colors

forgetting not the joys of past years

but starting fresh from the very beginning

building on old hopes and dreams

until all the earth is green with life again

and Sun smiles down on their joyous bounty

The night stars sparkle like smiling eyes.

Hence the wisdom of Mother Nature is shown

not in her steadfast longevity

but in the wisdom of change

which allows for rebirth and growth

a clean slate for every year

on which new hopes can truly bloom

and old doubts and fears are cast away,

fading into twilight and a new dawn.