Leaf I & II

Poems for Fall

I had to wear a jacket to work this morning. That must be one of the sure signs of Fall. This week’s Theology & Therapy is a lighter, and shorter, post. Here are a couple poems I wrote during a Fall season a few years ago. I don’t share much poetry here (and sadly don’t write near as much as I used to), but in case you missed it, here’s a short post about poetry from earlier this year.

Leaf I

With assiduous effort
The dry leaf holds on
By the cracked brittle
Stem of its dying life.
The skeletal tree has
Released all its blades,
Accepting of annual loss.
But this defiant leaf
Refuses to let go,
The golden dream of
Autumnal glory
Gripped so tight
Its veins are etched in relief.
No grief —
Forever without relief.

Leaf II

From flourishing green
To golden glory,
The strong course of life
Carries it along
Through the supple winds
And the blistering sun
Till the fierce gale of time
Frees it into retirement.
Now it sits and waits
For the end,
Occasionally stirred by a gust
Of feeble desire.
In the ends it's too tired to die.
So it waits —
For the rake and the bag
And the fire.
But today this slow death
Is interrupted by joy:
Its ears are filled with laughter
And gleeful shouts.
Feet crunch among its comrads
Until it is gathered up with the others,
And then comes the end:
With a giggly, crinkling thud
It breathes its last breath,
A soft, happy sigh.

Quote from George MacDonald

The life that hath not willed itself to be,
Must clasp the life that willed, and be at peace;
Or, like a leaf wind-blown, through chaos flee;
A life-husk into which the demons go,
And work their will, and drive it to and fro;
A thing that neither is, nor yet can cease,
Which uncreation can alone release.¹

Question

What do you love about Fall? What do you dislike about Fall?

1 The Diary of an Old Soul.