Lessons of Autumn

Lessons of Autumn Summaries of schooling — lessons upon lessons guiding Thoughts in class after class…as bells ring… Volumes to consider about ways of interpreting… As the world takes Life on a continuous spin — round and around — outside and within — Orbits, tides, seasons, moods, visions… Lessons taught that Winter is The Dead or Hibernating; Spring is Re-birth; Summer is The Growing; And Autumn? Well, students were asked to see — symbollically, spiritually, scientifically — That Autumn is the season of Dying, of Leaving. Autumn, the antithesis of Spring; Autumn, the harvesting, the taking away from the earth Spring’s born and Summer’s grown. Autumn is the drying, wilting, wrinkling; The changing from acting to waiting… And ending. But, in Autumn, Mother Nature displays Some greater lessons using God’s deeper palette: To layer by layer paint, and year by year present How Autumn’s weeks pass on Gifting the hemispheres with her splendors In a glorious prelude to turning with life, Tier upon tier, into a new year. All around, Autumn transforms the landscape From too monochrome into blended tones Of copper…and red…and yellow aside goldened greens That shiver before the backing blankets of violet horizons; And often the trees for awhile, may even lean in together to endure The colder winds and rains pattering. ~ When sweeping Autumn begins, Leaf by leaf breaks off from branches and twigs… And, by design created, floats down, Each laying on a palm of air, to soften The fall ~ The living in nature all have their seasons…As we Too, grow on the many branching pathways of our own, Hopefully learning the value and beauty In the circling of all time’s teaching seasons… As each and every leaf sways, wafts, flutters, twirls, Slowly waltzing down to the waiting earth, To lay there, with such vibrant color, Over the dust that made us. Autumn always, is time’s heavy curtain, Taking its cue to fall… —————————————————————————————————————————————————— (c) sally young eslinger 10/2023