Autumn has Arrived

“The seasons change . Our souls change with them.” c e Hollis

October has arrived. The weather is cooling. We open some windows. The leaves begin to turn and fall. A brown oak leaf breaks loose from its branch and tumbles on a cool breeze. It flys up and over, again and again. It touches the driveway then flys up another time before touching down and nestling softly against the fence.

Everywhere you look there is orange. Porches are decked with pumpkins, hay bales, and potted chrysanthemums. Scarecrows stand crooked in waning gardens where corn stalks dry and cucumber vines wither.

In the pasture the cows are lying down enjoying the breezes. At evening they walk slowly in single file to the water trough then return to the shade to nurse their calves.

Crows are cawing in the orchard and feasting on pecans all day. You’d think they’d be happy but each screech is disgruntled , bossy, and angry sounding .

Inside, the curtains flutter in the puff of wind. A book that was left open turns its own pages one at a time, one after another. The smell of pumpkin bread drifts from the kitchen. The room begins to darken and a mother calls her child in for a bath.

The season changes gradually and gracefully. There are sights and sounds and colors and music to each leaving and coming I see the pumpkins. I hear the crows. I watch the leaves pull free and dance away. I feel the wind and pull my sweater around me. I hear the rain song and the geese calling on their flight south.

Summer is gone. Autumn has come.