Autumn Walks
Autumn Walks
AUTUMN…walks along lake’s shore
Entice me through a time warp door
I sense a oneness not felt before
A feeling that gives-takes-then asks for more
The Swamp Maple’s…LEAVES…have changed early this year.
As I crest the hill my eyes are drawn to the distant shore whose gown of green is now brightly enhanced with cheery reds and yellows. A…FALLING…branch startles me and sends me stumbling backward. The air fills with the sweet scent of the Concord grapes twisting wildly up a young oak. A breeze…GENTLY…encourages the sweetness to walk a distance with me.
Autumn walks along lake’s shore
back…TO…a time I now deplore
Moccasins tracked on this hunting spoor
Brought back game to…THE…maiden they adore
The rising sun chases the mist from Lake Chancey’s undisturbed waters.
As the mist swirls rapidly up toward heaven, I puff my breath to see if it will run toward heaven too.
But the…EARTH…refuses to give up the coolness from the previous night, so my breath just floats, spreading thin until it is no more. Seeing a break in the woods, where a homestead once stood, now just a foundation…COVERED…in lichens and moss, I step into the sun and try again to send my breath to…THE…heavens.
Autumn walks along lake’s shore
Time giving up the past from its core
Foot…PATHS…now, they’ll be hunted no more
Centuries gone by…THE…secret passage now overwore
A chipmunk scurries over a stone wall and I think how busy he must be gleaning the forest floor to feed his family through the winter. As I walk the woods thicken and I can hear the wild turkeys gurgle a warning call that an intruder is near.
I squint and strain my eyes, but it is of no use, they are hidden by the multi-hued thickets. My thoughts drift and I imagine…INDIANS…in those woods…is that them cooing? Or is it just birds? I quicken my pace as I now feel eyes following my every step. Wondering to myself…HAD…I really allowed my imagination to see and feel what could not now be?
Autumn walks along lake’s shore
A feeling of fall that I can’t ignore
I’ve…TROD…their paths, their woods I explore
To give honored heed to Indian lore
I love this, both the style and the content. Well done.