Autumn Sonnet

As day falls into dusk I sit alone, Among the unloved stragglers, waiting still. The fading sun gives way to autumn chill, As I sit waiting, silent as a stone. I feel the crunch of leaves as dry as bone, The children’s laughter silent from the hill, And running, tripping, tumbling, down they spill. I hope that one will claim me for her own. Then lifted up and closely held at last, I make the journey home and find my place. The carving knife gives me the gift of sight, The spoon wipes out the silence of the past. My happy grin shines bright within my face, Illuminated by the candlelight.