Adieu

Already the leaves are staining red, Blood, too thin, seeps through taut skin, Capillaries weak walled and weeping; Dying Summer bows proud head, Emptied of green glory; Filled, fiery cauldrons blaze red-orange, Golden flamed tongues glowing. How harsh that she must fly Into the great beyond, Jettisoned like a human soul Killed before its time. Letting go, whether fast or slow, Makes no variance in the pain; Numbingly, it strikes the heart Over and over again. Passionate, she would linger, Queenly in her floral gown, Regaled for stunning splendor; Sympathy never his approach, Time beats a strong percussive stroke Unstoppable, dispensed in quick cadence. Valiantly she struggles, clinging, While wild winds hew each leaf down; Xylogenous lichen sparsely veils Yearning limbs laid vulnerable and bare: Zephyrus and Chloris frolic there no more. Note: Zephyrus, the gentle god and personification of the west wind, the bringer of light spring and summer breezes in Greek mythology; he abducted and fathered children with the goddess Chloris and gave her the domain of flowers. Xylogenous - living on or in wood Copyright, August 15, 2014 Faye Lanham Gibson