This is the season where you are
In my every thought.
When the warm, sunny summer days,
Wane into breezy autumn afternoons.
The trees’ tops, that were so supple
And green not a month ago,
Crisped into a crimson canopy of color.
And the animals seem to burst to life again
After those long, lazy summer days.
Restless birds and scurrying squirrels
Prepare for the quick-coming cold season.
And friends, with smiles as wide as those carved
On the adored pumpkins, cheerfully greet
Neighbors while getting ready to visit families
During one of the all-too-rare school breaks.
I remember how much you loved
This time of year. You’d take forever
To pick out the perfect pumpkin,
And even longer to decide what to carve on it.
You always loved making caramel apples,
Even though it’s the messiest process in history.
But those caramel-covered kisses
Still make me smile, even to this day.
I bought flowers on my walk
To come see you. They’re star-shaped,
And a brilliant red, orange and gold.
The colors of the flowers we had
At our wedding.
It’s not a long walk, with pleasant view.
Waving to passers-by, smiling through the gap
between their hats and scarves.
The crisp breeze rustling the branches
Of the row of trees that stretch
Tall above me in their fiery pride.
I finally see you, spotting you out
Among your neighbors. The sky
has started to morph, to match
the colors of the season.
It gives everything
a blushed,
heavenly glow. Nothing looks real.
“I brought you flowers, Darling. I thought
You’d like them.” I sit down next to you,
staring off into eternal silence.
