Slowly Into Winter

the leaves slowly cascade down
to the ground
as winter turns slowly to winter

the wind blows them around
untill the cold freezes them to the ground
as winter turns slowly to winter

i return each year to find my leaf lying here
each spring it renews it’s promise
this year i didn’t wait! after the first spring storm
from its branch it was torn, it lied to me again

so this fall, before the free winds blew
i went to my tree and picked the loveliest leaf icould find
and kept it with mine
untill winter turned slowly to spring

This poem was written/submitted by Francis E. Rudy.