Red Leaves of Autumn

© Les Taylor Photo (Thanks, Leslie!)

What exactly would be the seasonal opposite of "Spring has Sprung"?  I'm not sure what cute name it would be given, but I saw a lovely example of it today.  See, here in the South we have relatively mild falls and winters, and many of our trees never do the color change routine that is so common to places farther north.  To see a tree in full fall "bloom" is somewhat of a rarity here.

It rained—well, drizzled—for most of the day today. There was very little blue sky, and what did show was in little bits that were quickly swallowed up again with more dark clouds.

Shortly before our school dismissed today, the rain finally let up in that part of town.  As I was loading my bags into my car to head home, I glanced over at a tree in the center median of the faculty parking lot, and immediately wished I had had my camera in my purse.  There, in the parking lot of the school, one of our small and normally-green trees had burst into a full coat of red leaves for fall.  I took a picture with my phone, the only camera I had available, and wanted to share it here along with a poem I discovered a few years ago!

Pirouetting Autumn

The tree blushed - a rude blast of air

Betrayed a shapely bough.

My saddened heart aware

That Nature's clock was chiming,

I froze upon the twelfth

Clanging tone, caught alone,

Staring at a creaking door -

Left ajar for dancing, coloured Autumn,

Pirouetting in her leaves,

While agitated summer creatures

Backed away resignedly,

Sighing in protracted breves.

I turned; gave company;

We stood together, watching

Summer slowly blow away.

~Mark R Slaughter, 2009

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