autumn magic -

there's something in the breath of fall, so dear that churns the deepest province of my soul once rooted in the start of each school year mixed with that earthy crispness of the cold the thrills of sports and studies, ivy-bound esteemed traditions held amidst the eaves more precious, still, that kindred heart I found through crazy, callow love among the leaves oh, how we drowned so eagerly each time we swam that leafy ocean ‘neath the trees yet, now it’s only mem’ries put to rhyme though, still, these weary eyes can clearly see ... there - deep within the fading autumn's mist … a shadow of the sweetheart I once kissed. Copyright © Gregory Richard Barden, October 3, 2019 (rewrite 10/1/21); *original version featured in the anthology “154 By 16 Poets” by Craig Cornish ~ 1st Place ~ in the "Autumn Sonnet" Poetry Contest, John Hamilton, Judge & Sponsor. ~ 2nd Place ~ in the "Strand Choice J, Any Form, Any Theme" Poetry Contest, Brian Strand, Judge & Sponsor.