Autumn Leaves

She smells of autumn leaves
Like packed earth and promises
Left in the tepid sun to dry
Driven by the possibility of more
As if eternity were tomorrow
And she was born yesterday
But life is just afternoon shadows
Made up of what she cannot have
Indian summer and daydreams
The memory of consequence
Tucked safely underneath
A kaleidoscope of color
Beneath a cloudy October sky
Like a child tucked in at night
By perfect love and circumstance

She smells of autumn leaves
Newly fallen from barren trees
Desperate to rise again
Yet destined to fade away
As surely as summer’s malaise.

Sam
In the face of approaching winter.