Alone

It was born in the spring with hundreds of others with always the closeness of sisters and brothers As days passed by it grew bigger and stronger and grew to maturity, a youngster no longer Days turned to weeks as it basked in the sun Its colour was beautiful, second to none Weeks turned to months it now was full grown and then it produced offspring of its own Its offspring grew larger and then left the nest to further the species with all of the rest Its job was now over its colour was fading Old age and disease its body invading And then came the autumn of its short life A life so productive and full of much strife Now it was weary its life nearly over Soon will be time to lie in the clover As winter approached its kin were all dying They couldn't hang on despite all their trying Fewer and fewer of its companions were left and now it was feeling completely bereft So now its alone, its companions all gone Where there were hundreds now there's just one Now it hangs on alone waiting to die Its life nearly over 'twill be gone by-and-by I saw it this morning still hanging around awaiting its end under the ground A life full of happiness, sadness and grief On a tree in the garden hangs the last lonely leaf