Autumn In the Glen
There are showers of leaves within our glen
Because autumn has come upon us
I go there often, each tortuous step
To remember and to imagine
You danced here in exuberant circles
Arms extended, whirling madly
Celebrating who you were in a moment of magic
Before laughing and collapsing upon the leaves
That God had painted for your pleasure
You tilted your lips to accept my kiss
And I consumed your beauty, gathering it
Into my soul like the promises of all the gods
And in that moment when your laughter faded
Into the softness of deep wonder
You were more beautiful than all your yesterdays
And birds hushed in worship of you
The breeze surrendered and the clock suspended
Because it was a moment indelible upon itself
I pause at the place where you danced
And examine the marvels of the new season
Of how the earth has dressed itself in gaudy colors
And realize that if I were God in constant creation
I would have made you no differently than you were
Nothing would I have changed for I saw you
Only in your perfection while blind to flaw or error
I saw you as the autumn leaf in all its brazen colors
But as I reached for it, the wind blew it away
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