A Muted Day
I stroll leisurely along the avenue
as silent trees stand sentinel.
Not one leaf rustles or whispers;
no branch breathes or even sighs.
No gust catches me off guard
at the top of the hill so that I
pull my scarf more snuggly ‘round me.
All is still.
The earth exhales its evocative perfume.
The birds quietly murmur
to each other among the leaves.
The squirrels merely mumble
as they scavenge for winter’s food;
their chatter subdued among
the boughs. The Crow’s raucous call
remains unvoiced.
I wonder if animals are aware
of the change in the air?
How restrained they are -
how subdued the normal clamor.
As I walk, only my footsteps echo
in my ear - all other sounds
are suppressed to a subtle
understated shuffle - the day
is like walking through cotton –
or a cocoon of softest
flannel- so subtle, so serene,
so restrained.
The autumn colors’ resonant
pigments subtle as the ripple
on a millpond, hum an inaudible
lullaby, rich and deep to keep
the noises at bay. Today
the burgundies, oranges and yellows
are muted, their potency not
diminished by the absence of the sun.
I see each and every color
created, every individual
leaf and branch that shades
the world; and all the muted
undertones in between murmur
their quiet hue.
The clouded sky of pearlized
gray allows the colors to emit
the hue of their choosing - burnished,
buffed beyond recognition; brilliant
in the restrainment of inaudible
complexity -
on this muted day.
Copyright © Annette Gagliardi | Year Posted 2017
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