The Elm's Gone Golden Leaves

Wintergreen oil transfer print

The Maple's scarlet foliage

And the Elm's gone-golden leaves

Let loose upon a cooler air

To ride a whimsy wind

They loop-the-loop

A dart, a glide

A pin-wheel turn, then

Angle towards the ground

I shuffle through their quiet gatherings

Chase them into rounded piles

Cupped and curled like hands waving

They are off in a rustle of laughter

I know these tricks

But still I stare

At gaunt limbs

And barren branches

So soon their clatter softens

And dampness presses secrets deep

Into earth-brown beds for quiet sleep

Under Early snow.