Leaves and Shields

Oft'times I see my friends all 'round Lke leaves of Autumn, floating down And softly drifting, side-to-side A passive dance, on zephryn tide Then when the ground is covered o'er A million leaves! A billion! More! Each leaf contributes its full size Then, on a stormy gust, they rise 'Til once again back to the groung With only a faint rustling sound They cover Earth like coats of paint And never from them one complaint For leaves, it seems, were bor to fall In answer to their maker's call So, after their day in the sun They pay the piper, ev'ry one God's peple, too, could learn fom them We hang by life=thread, very slim We live our lives as we see fit While kowng there's an end to it That thresd will tretc, but one day break Then ev'ry triumph ad mistake Will only be a memory That's shared by friends and family Our mem'ries are like building stones That shield us from the tears and groans A pebble here, a bolder there The joys we could together share Wallsgrow thick, and shields grow strong A love, and lift, and help along Each one who shares this life with us The ones wo give to us their trust And as we journey toward our home It's never good to be alone That thread may break at any time And end our Earthly pantomime Life's Earthly gain (and this we know) Will wash away in time's great flow Just gifts we've made and good we've done Will keep our mem'ries in the sun To shied our loved ones from the storm Reflect sunshine to keep them warm 'Til each must turn the river's bend We never know just how or when So nw, dear friends, my point of view Theere's just one thing for us to do Please build a shield for me, will you? I'll build, the best I can, for you Walls grow thick