Alight with color
The leaves flutter down
To join the mosaic
Arrayed on the ground
To death from birth
They return to the earth
In brilliant profusion
Golden their worth
There on the path
They’ll crackle and fade
Prepared for the winds
That will sweep them away
But just for this moment
With hues on display
They gladden the heart
And brighten the day
A joy to behold
A feast for the eyes
With beauty resplendent
They say their goodbyes
Rest now in the bowers
Rest now where you lie
Rest now my old friends
Through the long Winter night
Farewell for now
Until in the Spring
New life and new color
New hope you will bring
When flowers will bloom
And birds again sing
When dreams are renewed
And life again rings
Shadows recede
Days lengthen anew
Frost yields at last
To the fresh morning dew
The trees will awaken
To Spring’s gladsome strains
Stretch forth their arms
Adorned once again
Year in and year out
They’ll repeat the refrain
For as long as His grace
And His mercy remain
D. Gee, October 2023
While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease. — Genesis 8:22