Goldenrods on the roadside litter,
The park entrance, greeting all those
Who enter
To see them in the sun like glitter,
Tiny yellow dancers for the
Visitor.
Butterfly wings they slowly flutter
Warming and cooling a thirst for
Sweet nectar,
Alongside bees who sweetly linger
Drunken with tastes of the flower’s
Dry liquor.
‘Ready?’ My dog emits a whimper
Eager for entry to Nature’s
Bright splendor.
I sit and observing, remember
October mornings quite strangely
Familiar;
Where the sights of fall’s birth from summer
Defies the eventual shift
To winter.
And all the while the bees still labor
While I, with stolen hours of time,
Can savor
Autumn’s woods, left alone to ponder
The passing seasons and time’s slow
Meander;
A pathway, cut through hillside grandeur
Etching a course between the past
And future;
Connecting each and every creature
As we journey along this road
Together,
The flowers, bees, dog and her owner
Are juxtaposed here just for now;
Not longer.
For soon, time will sweep us down river,
And blanket us under winter’s
Deep slumber.
Bees they pass on, flowers they whither,
Man denies his fate, but too will
Grow older.
But time often helps us remember
By giving us back a glimpse of
October,
Giving us pause in idle wonder
Hearkening back to ground we have
Covered,
Amongst goldenrods coated in amber
A boy and his dog to wander
Forever.
Originally published 10/2008
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