My Friend Autumn

The first yellow leaf is pure magic

The first golden sunset casting

Long autumn shadows is like balm

To my tired soul

It ushers in a reflective 

And perfectly melancholy season

Beginnings are always beautiful

And refreshing

But where there is a beginning, there is an end

Just as you can sense the beginning

Your spirit can sense the end

The day that all the leaves are beneath your feet

Instead of hanging on the tree

When the wind is less of an invitation

And more of a goodbye

The sunrise and sunset seep in and out

Holding on as long as possible

Even as they are quickly taken over by night

Those are moments to thank the seasons for all they offer us

The opportunity to reflect

To grieve the things we missed

A last chance to hold hurt, regret, and fear

To hold it in our hands

To soak in the feeling

And then let it go

Letting it be swept away by the ever present autumn breeze

Laying it to rest like winter

Letting it be buried in a blanket of snow to sleep

And grow into something more beautiful in the spring

Our autumn’s farewell is full of joy and sorrow

Memories, regrets, and reconciliation

My eyes are quick to tears but in the most freeing way

The bittersweet feelings of our failures

And our second chances

We must float from season to season as predictably and unexpectedly as the  fall of the last leaf

And the arrival of winter