An Autumnal Stepping Stone

 

The leaves have already fallen

crisp and curled they lay beneath their summer home

Acorns ready to be harvested by the famished squirrel

cover the branches of the sturdy oak

The gardens give forth their ultimate bloom

a red rose lingers as a farewell to summer's fading sun

The lawns sing their lament as the mower

sweeps once more over their verdant carpet

In the depth of night the hedgehog scurries home

a chill in the breeze as windows are closed

The lights are turned on as dusk is

sooner than when we last noticed

The signs and portents of autumn

appear from beneath the undergrowth of summer

October a fond farewell as the bells of November

toll in memory their tale of tragedy and loss

All Souls and Remembrance commemorations

are but a breath away from this comely day

But all is not lost as the birds sing a farewell

and flap their wings in 'au revoir'

Ahead is the star of Bethlehem

forecast by the Advent hymns with candles and wreaths

Time gently carries us forward in unison

to nature's pattern of certainty and perpetual rhythm