A Poem: Shadow of Fall

The Summer heat bends me like dry grass in a field, brown and broken

Taking shelter from the sun’s rays of cruelty and disdain for all that venture forth

I count the days in degrees, a human measure of intolerance and humidity

Blessing one month while I curse the next as a dry wind melts my resolve

I peek out the window, hiding behind a thermostat of artificial air and light

Crisp leaves litter the landscape like soldiers that have surrendered early

Their siblings hold fast, high in the limbs above waiting for a cool breeze

Jolly Pumpkins have appeared early in boxes next to the check-out line

An Autumn’s delight to carve a scary face for welcoming goblins at my door

Ears of Indian Corn display the colors we are expecting, reds, yellows, orange and brown

A rainbow of muted hues we accept for the season before the snow blankets our sleep

The signs are here, the calendar confirms, but still I wait and wonder in the shadow of Fall

An original composition by the author of Ends and Beginnings