When Autumn Comes
By Elece Hollis
The day comes on warm and wet wind from the south
The sun shines and then doesn’t again
The wind blows out of the north by late afternoon
Strengthening––it blasts and in the night brings clear cold air
Soon Winter will arrive
The sun disappear earlier every day
But Autumn sings to us
A sweet and fresh song
We snug our sweaters around us and unfold quilts onto our beds
Simmer soups and sip warm cider beside unnecessary fires
Autumn comes and brings reprieve from the heat
Rest from the long tiresome days
The plants turn eye-resting brown and scatter seeds on the wind
They are done with their fruit and seed bearing and are ready to lie down
To sleep awhile––then to change into cover to protect the ground from ice and snow
Next spring to be the fertilizer for this year’s seeds.
So autumn comes and with it rest
Geese fly off home––echoing fare-thee-wells into the dark
The sky rests in gray as the sun packs to vacation in other lands
