Stained Glass Shards of Autumn

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One yellowed leaf spirals to green grass below

In Alaska’s waning August.

The victim of Winter’s first chilly breath.

Alone, resting on the vestiges of summers’ glory

In Korea’s late November.

A promise of fading light and cooling mercury.

A call to others in similar hue clustered well above

In Seattle’s mid October.

A slow trickle⸺more constant with each rustle of brittling branches.

Younger siblings bitten by cooler polar temps fall

In Yorkshire’s November.

Onto trodden and muddied brothers and sisters below.

Creaking gusts heralding winter’s full arrival

In Tokyo’s parks at Hibiya, Yoyogi and Shinjuku.

Scattered red confetti of the remaining canopy.

The earth’s green is well forgotten

In San Francisco’s December frozen ecosystem.

By amber, citrine and garnet stained glass-like shards

The sun, an oxygen deprived flame, flickering weakly

Vienna’s cold winter fast approaches. 

Nights howl icy promises of snow and darkness.

Light’s absence blurs the stark outlines.

Anchorage’s full blown Arctic nights in November

Pencil canopy stripped branches brown into black sky

Only the soft shuffling of crumbling leaves is heard

Down a lonely laneway in Melbourne in the month of June.

Like slippers treading on a multi-hued Persian carpet.

- Edited by Unu Bae


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