Enter October

The door of October

Opens with pumpkins,

Shining round and perfect

In their orange glory.

With chrysanthemums in yellow and red and white,

Mounds of color over 

Deep green leaves.

A gold-carpeted hall beckons,

Its walls lined with color:

Flame-orange;

Blood-red;

Lemon-yellow.

The ceiling of the sky

Arches above, 

A perfect fall-blue,

Cloudless,

Limitless.

The aromas of October

Tickle my nose.

Pumpkin spice is everywhere:

In coffee,

In candles,

Even in beer.

Beneath it all,

The scent of apples grounds the season:

In cider.

In donuts.

In apple pie.

The sun shines

On a perfect October day.

The breeze

Makes the leaves twirl

In dizzying spirals.

They invite me to join the dance,

And I spin,

Whirling,

Arms flung wide,

In celebration.

The breeze

Becomes a wind,

With hints of the winter to come.

The branches,

Empty of their bright finery,

Stretch to meet

What’s left of the sun.

The woods

Darken.

The door of October

Closes with the ghosts of Halloween.

Tombstones march through

Once-green lawns.

Witches fly in the wind.

Black cats peer 

From lighted windows.

The wind moans,

Giving voice to the lonely spirits

Of October.