Autumn Leaves

Intro: A kind and wise man once said to me: “For everything, there is a reason – whether for a lifetime, or just a season.”  As the seasons change – physically and spiritually, and as certain losses appear to be inevitable, these words echoed in my head as I drove to work in silence this morning.  Tonight, I’d gone to bed, but woke up to pen these thoughts.

 

No longer a sprout,
No more a fledgling,
The leaf reflected on her prime –
Not yet knowing
The best was now behind.

Change was in the air, she knew;
Yet, she was seemingly unaware
of the magnitude.

Unaware of underlying vibrations –
Yet, completely attuned
To the abundant beauty that is
Life and Love
On Earth.

The sky’s once pastel hues
Of soft pinks and powdery blues
Had evolved to burning embers of
Fiery orange and flaming licks of lavender.

While sky smoldered,
Earth cooled –
Breezes danced on air,
Carrying crisp scents of apple
And pumpkin spice.

“Life is good,”
Thought the Autumn Leaf.

The birds that once flourished in her presence,
The caterpillars that fed from her
Were now few and far between,
Yet she wasn’t at all lonely
Because the squirrels came out
To gather and store for a future
They were all too aware of,
Even if she was blind to their truths.

She clung to her tree,
Evaluating herself and her being –
Her place in the Universe,
Taking stock of the changes
She’d endured – and proud
Oh, so proud, of how she, too,
had evolved and flourished.

Her colors changed, she’d noticed –
A copper tone much different than
Her earlier greens – but she was open
To change and accepting of circumstance,
Happy to be a part of life,
Eager to flow with the seasons of change –
Even if that meant a few wrinkles
And dryer skin.

But the sky grew dark
And the nights became long
And she became aware.

She became aware,
But there was nothing she could do
To change the course of destiny…
To alter her existence –
She was what she was…
And what would be would be.

And then one morning,
When the air had become cold and frigid,
When the sun’s fire was extinguished by
A veil of gray clouds,
And the winds whipped
And the rains came,
She reached for the Tree,
But the tree closed its eyes,
Turning its head from her.

The vibrations of change permeated her being.
She thought she was an extension of the tree –
A part of its being, a piece to the whole,
A compliment to its existence
But the tree, knowing better, gave one final rattle,
Shaking her violently with truths
She could no longer deny.

She was, after all,
Only a leaf
amidst an Autumn Sunrise.

In spite of her efforts,
She’d been shaken loose.

On her decent, she took one final moment
To evaluate what had been, and –
In spite of herself
She’d decided
That life was indeed good

And she was still graTeful

Silently, she drifts to the ground –
Returning to earth
-dust to dust –
As Autumn unfolds
and Winter prepares
to set in
Without her.

s