Autumn Lady

Through golden sunbeams,

Over melancholy streams,

And to a lonely hill

I followed a wandering path.

 

The wind, it sang

Hushed words of sorrow

For the change it scattered

Across the land.

 

Barren tree limbs brushed against

Each other for comfort

As their leaves fell gracefully towards

Their rest.

 

One by one.

 

The earth created

A colorful patchwork

Of time.

 

I reached the crest and sought a place

To rest my aching feet.

 

In time I inhaled

A pleasant fragrance

Of crisp apples, spices, and a campfire.

 

There came to my ears

the clear sounds

of the bubbling brook below,

the chitter of the leaves,

and the chatter of the acorns.

 

Warmth rose in me

And stretched from my chest

To soothe my chilled fingers.

 

I opened my eyes to behold

A sight I knew I would never

See again.

 

Her gaze was down,

To the water below,

Though I knew she saw me.

 

She wore a dress of

Fertile earth.

 

A cloak of leaves, gourds, and nuts.

 

A wreath of flowers and berries

Crowned her dark hair.

 

She turned, and her

Amber eyes beheld

My awe-struck form.

 

It is lovely.

 

Her words came to my mind,

Clear as the sound of a bell.

 

I could not speak.

 

She bowed her head.

Her eyes fell back

To the murmuring water.

 

My heart could not contain

The heightened state

Of my senses.

 

In the stillness,

Understanding bloomed.

 

It is lovely

 

I cried.

 

She reached towards me

And held my gaze

As though

Imparting a gift.

 

Her hand fell to her side.

She smiled faintly,

And was gone.

 

The moment passed.

The world spun as it should.

My thoughts only captured

Echoes of the magnificence

I experienced.

 

I buried my face

In my cold hands.

As the tears fell,

I whispered.

 

I will mourn you.