the fall

feeling your breath
just there now,
soft on my skin,
warm in my eyes
fresh and gentle,
the welcomest touch

leaves turning,
first one, then two,
then more and more
struck alight–
til all their green
glows, a golden fire

a chill lingering
longer, longer still
with the night
into waking dawn,
leaving dusty traces
in the morning dew

darkness deepening,
slowly, quietly
slipping in behind
the falling sun,
a shadow waiting,
ever eager to return

so goes bright day
into long night,
summer heat fading,
heaving, dying
giving up, giving way
to your approach

I never feel more alive than in the autumn. Whether it’s all the colors, the light, or the blissfully cool and crisp air, something in me shifts and awakens, grows keener. Maybe I am just looking forward to it so much, eager, anticipating it’s return, that I’m getting too far ahead of myself. But I can’t help it, really. It’s like this year after year for me, all over again. This is a love poem of sorts for the season I can already sense coming.