A Leaf's Flight

“Autumn leaves don’t fall; they fly. They take their time and wander on this, their only chance to soar.” Owens, Delia. Where the Crawdads Sing, Chapter 17: “Crossing the Threshold” (p. 124). Sheltered within my mother’s caring limbs Through spring, summer, and autumn I felt secure all through the changing seasons Happy I was with my siblings Playing, giggling, and whispering But when I watch birds flying in the air And the blue of the sky peeking through clouds Instinctively I long to fly aloft Into the enormity of a realm with no boundaries I don’t know why I feel sometimes Trapped in a jungle, so stuck and stranded Pinned down in an awful fixation Then I hunger to be a bird, spread my wings, And ride upon the wind to join in an odyssey Once when I announced my desire to my mother, She said, “you are now mature enough To free yourself from my sheltering clasp, so, I let you go” Thus, from my caged existence, here I go Slipping away from the cords that bind Swaying and dancing on silvered wings Jan.4.2023 ~ Placed Second~ Feel Free Poetry Contest Sponsor- Sara Kendrick