Mucky, Slippery, Dead Leaves

The end of Autumn drags along.

Dark trees hold half-lost leaves,
wrinkled and crumpled, drying,
but hanging on for no reason.
Rain, cold and scattered makes a mess.
Flowers stuck, black, in need of dead heading.
Delicate plants lie panting
for air, sun, heat, losing the battle.

So many trees, dropping so many leaves,
which decay into a slippery deciduous mud.
Composting we call it.
But muck is what it is.

The low, weak sun shines hopelessly,
not enough light left to bounce off much color.
So brown-gray is the theme.

We are in between lovely Fall and silvery Winter.
The date to save is December 21st,
the Winter Solstice.
Shortest day of the year.
Latest sunrise, earliest sundown.
Darkest day.
Then it's over.

Rain will block the sun,
cold will chill the sky,
and bleak, dark clouds may keep us gray all day,
but, behind all that dark,
the sun is shining brighter each day!

Bit by bit, day by day comes Spring,
then Summer before we blink an eye.
The whole world keeps spinning along,
dragging the sunshine with it.

Shiver and slip in the muck,
but look forward to March 21st, 2008,
end of Winter, harbinger of Spring.
Keep hope alive for longer days of light and warmth.

Coming soon, to your hometown!


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