Autumn Leaves
It is now autumn and spring is just a memory.
I remember the blossoms and sweet fragrance.
A time of rebirth, yes a time of reawakening.
A season of the year that refreshes the soul.
Yet, autumn is a time to say goodbye to summer,
The hot sweltering days of fun and frolic with
The sent of perspiration and flowers in the air
As young and old enjoy the rays of mother sun.
Fall is in the air and nature's green changes
As her varied giants prepare to shed foliage.
Sweaters replace swimsuits, tops and shorts
As each of summer's sexy tans are covered up.
As I reflect about the tree that is my life
I gaze back at its branches, twigs and leaves
And the many treasured memories warm my heart
Like the many glowing colors of autumn leaves.
Now at fifty I find myself in the autumn of my life.
My youth represented by pictures from my parents
And the prime of my life just behind me with its
Hard earned accomplishments and burdensome regrets.
My autumn has become a warm and friendly season,
A time for deep reflection, personal introspection.
The fall of my existence is a time of preparation
For the next and last period of my earthly journey.
I am not afraid of the winter of my life to come
As white dawns my crown like nature's fallen snow.
My limbs will become weaker, each day more brittle
Like nature's giants bare of their familiar green.
Autumn is a season for harvesting life's bounty
As I take time for the things that really matter.
The decades to put away for a slower time a head,
The time when I prepare to lay my burdens down.
Autumn leaves tell me it is a time to prepare
The future generation to learn to care for me
As I so lovingly cared for them, so long ago,
As I become more child like, in need of them.
Autumn leaves covered by winter snow nurture
The soil to receive the many seeds of spring.
My autumn is for sharing myself with others
To plant my memory in their hearts forever.
by I. E. Allen
