A flutter in the Autumn wind,
A rustling echo in the trees,
And dying leaves
Shower below
Like rainfall in adagio.

A soft and soothing pattern of sound
Accompanies the leaves as they meet the ground.
They crackle and crunch,
Loathe to expire,
The embers of a dying fire.

A single leaf comes fluttering down,
Reluctant still to touch the ground.
It bounces once,
Flips, and lands
With a sad and softly crinkling sound.

Decaying leaves will feed the worms
That in their turn will feed the trees
To sprout anew,
When Spring returns,
The leaves for which the branch now mourns.

How lucky to see and to feel and to hear
This pageant of nature for one more year.
Enjoy it now,
Rejoice in today,
And face tomorrow with diminished fear.