Autumn's Lament

Oh, fairest leaves, like golden crowns, That rustle, whisper, and softly fall, Like Nature's tears, that mourn the passing hours, And weep for summer's lost, and love's sweet recall. Your verdant hue, now amber, crimson, and torn, Like fleeting joys, that wither, and are born, In autumn's twilight, where the winds do mourn, And whispers of the past, in sorrow, are forlorn. Oh, leaves, dear leaves, like sentinels of time, That stand, like spectral guardians, of the seasons' chime, You've seen the birth, growth, decay, and final fall, Of generations, like the waves, that rise, and lose their all. And thou, oh tree, a sage, a witness to the seasons' sway, That hast seen all, from bud to fade, day by day, Thou knowest the secret, of the leaves' shedding might, A protective blanket, for the roots, through winter's night. Oh, fairest leaves, like golden crowns, That rustle, whisper, and softly fall, Like Nature's tears, that mourn the passing hours, And weep for summer's lost, and love's sweet recall.