The cicadas rub their legs —
a late afternoon symphony
in the sun.
They are singing their goodbye song —
a buzzing, rattling maracas farewell.
 
The first few branches
on the eldest tree by the pond
abandon summer green
for autumn’s russet glory.
 
Majesty is on the way —
a wildfire rush of color across the fields,
like fervent runners passing the baton
after each lap and leap across the line.
 
We come to the season of turning leaves
with great humility,
knowing that, like a flash of light
in the midnight sky,
its beauty is brief.
It gives birth to spartan times of growth
and the quiet, galloping days
that lead to dark skies
visiting early.

From Amnesia and Awakenings ( Local Gems Press, 2016). 
This poem first appeared in An Ariel Anthology: Transformational Poetry and Art (2015).
Used here with the author’s permission.