Two Merry Leaves

They danced and they turned and they tumbled In wind, how it sighed and it grumbled With force, how it howled in its fury But still they bore no trace of worry In cool autumn winds they cavorted My foot! How they laughed and they sported They flew through the air just like pheasants Till set in my excellent presence “Red Leaf,” quoth I unto the leader “To fly, there is nothing more neater But weren’t you the least bit affrighted As thus from the breeze you alighted?” “Dear sir,” quoth the leaf as he flitted “To fear, for a leaf ain’t permitted We’re taught from a bud in the cradle That even a crash isn’t fatal.” “I say,” quoth I unto the yellow “You seem to be such a neat fellow I wonder how likes you this sporting Or if you a damsel are courting?” Quoth he, “All this sporting is splendid The days of my courting are ended My lover has flown to the northward While I am constrained to fly southward.” Before one more word could be spoken The peace of that moment was broken Away flew those leaves o’er the treeses Borne by the chill autumn breezes October 25, 2012. For the contest, Up in the Autumn Air. Second place.