Autumn Ascending

Part the curtain of autumn leaves,

slip inside like a wisp of smoke.

Breathe the magic.

Shed summer and two-step, jitterbug, tango, or waltz into autumn;

allow Vivaldi to live inside you.

Feel the music marinate your mind

until everything is fall-off-the-bone tender.

Splay yourself out like a starfish

on beds of crimson, gold, green, and tangerine leaves

resting upon the faded grass of September

as you sail forth brandishing a candy apple sword,

Defend your soft, warm memories with a shield of s’mores,

marshmallow toasted golden brown, melting chocolate into graham

around a crackling fire of hickory and cedar,

smoke furling up to the heavens, a signal sent

to the loved ones you’ve lost, declaring your presence,

your participation in preparation,

for winter is coming, perhaps sneaking in slowly,

a cool breeze dropping degrees, leaving a veil of frost in its wake.

Lay your body down in golden slants of sunlight before they’re whisked away into the sharp shards of winter’s scarlet staccato rays tattooing through trees along the highway.

Soak up all the October you can, use your hidden heart to follow a winding path through the forest to the river,

stopping off at the county fair to ride the Himalaya, eat french fries drenched in vinegar and bury your face in cotton candy

before you reunite yourself to your old stomping grounds

Homecoming

the game if not the dance

a chrysanthemum pinned to your lapel or sweater

announcing that you belong, have been chosen and are adored.

If you have no chrysanthemums, don’t despair—

you can hide yourself in a costume, wander the streets collecting candy

or getting a rock,

like Charlie Brown.

Leave the streets for a sincere pumpkin patch and wait patiently

with Linus and Sally

for the miraculous wonder of childhood,

the ability to believe in something great

restored

if only in this space where fiscal years begin and campaigns end,

the land of open windows and extra blankets,

a second cup of coffee

a warm bowl of soup and freshly-baked bread.

Wander these paths strewn with memories of warmth, hayrides and hope beneath a moonbright sky, let yourself breathe

and join the dance.