In the Shadow of Silence

Contorted cloud of fleeting cotton clumps Sad to see the contours of changing shape Tells the wind to stop blowing across the sky The face adorned with the shine of silver lines As the spent sun sinks below remote skyline. The last sunrays paint the leaves auburn In the scorching summer heat their faces curl As the essence of youth is lost in the air dry In the fall wind they fly away from the bough Tree waits for the spring to usher in the green. The lilting lean buds open their dry eyes The sleeping petals wake up to shape the bloom The flowers soaking the colors of the spring air Share the hues of the sunset sky with butterflies Until the spectacle of splendor withers forlorn. In the quietude of the serene silver moonshine With my shadow trailing your fading footprints My aloneness walks me in the desolate track It’ll saunter until I find you engraved in my soul And you see me still in the shadow of silence. ________________ October 28, 2022 For A Brian Strand Premiere Choice Contest