To My Muse, Fall

summer as you wane this Love Doesn’t Fade 

but morphs into praise as leaves float in their ways 

from the sunlight you gave on those long hot days 

photosynthesis’ death in immaculate displays

 

when that first leaf falls so must the others 

like lobsters mating for life crustaceans shell color

into star dust explodes dancing red dwarfs in the cones 

of my eyes prancing like Dorothy on yellow brick-leaved roads

 

be careful falling appendages soon you’ll make the rainbow jealous 

the folly of my camera’s attempts to capture hues so seductive Mr. Hefner is jealous

with a grin in delight that these eyes are worthy of such a magnificent sight 

that these ears hear the wind rustle a mellifluous sprite 

gently twirling from above to be bagged later with sweaty brow rake and glove 

i’m still surprised how your seasonal arrival sparks this great love

 

you’ve grown all summer into splendid maturation 

and give once again in death visual saturation 

marking a transition and sparking intuition 

ancestral knowledge harvest rituals of the ancient

 

in the air pungent burning of piles the first fireplace’s smiles what a delicious musk

different like the type of seasonal light rotating on sundials another prodigious dusk

where leaf and sky blend on the horizon for miles while I gaze awestruck

at your beauty I keep a picture of you in my mind to cheer myself up when things get tough

 

you too will be gone again laid bare in sacrifice of your precious leaves

my friends do I dare hold on this feeling as you slip into the winter it sleeps

a simpler time it keeps watch healing for all that I grieve

a new day will spring beyond this snow if I just believe