Just felt like celebrating the Fall. :0)
Autumn Dance—
In autumn the maple leaves blush
at one another, then jump their traces
leaving the trees to dance and skip
they disappear discretely when the sun fades
to dusk, to accept the quiet caresses
of the wind.
The apple trees, also laid bare of
their leaves, will not be outdone.
They sigh and coquet, waving willowy
branches to reveal
a brace of jewels—
ruby apples drip from fingertip
so abundant that some
may be thrown to the supplicant
squirrels.
A light buffet
of rosehips
is sampled by the deer
who delicately pirouette
on ballerina feet.
A pair of fat raccoons
promenade slowly through
the trees, like an old couple
hard of hearing, loudly
complaining about what
has been laid out
to eat.
The music of the crickets and
the frogs goes on til dawn
for the revelers know
that the seasons will change
in the turn of a moon
and all will be laid to rest
in blankets of snow.
As if on cue, to remind all revelers
of the season’s brevity
a swirling cloak of black crows
descends upon the fete
calling one another to the feast.
Imbibing broken apples’ juice
collecting fruit and seed
finding fallen butterflies
with broken wings
and cold cadaverous
caterpillars
shrouded in cobwebs like lace.
The corvid coven rises
remembering the fallen ones
to the angels
lifting them aloft on sable wings
in celebration, in no way stygian
as the dance goes on
and day embraces night.
