Page 22 - Contrast1958Winterv2n1

A GLOWING EMBER

When summer dies
And stems of fragrant life
Are crushed
By scurrying squirrels,
Silent smugglers of autumn;

Proud earth poses amid her twilight . . .
A glowing ember.

Above the flame
Aged oaks grasp shivery breezes
With naked branches;
Sighs sound

From short·lived swirls of leaves;
Gnarled roots hug the earth for life.

Upon a black road
twisting, then fading

Among a million hues,
A shiny spaniel struts ...
Leaps at a lilting leaf,
Runs round and round,
Tumbles tan into red.

Kicking a stone a chubby youth,
Snuggled in a green snowsuit,
Daydreams . . . broken

By barking and imploring eyes;
No sport for pups is
The tease of the leaves.

They run and are gone-
Winds whistle farewell;
Nature summons the hawk,
Ripens pumpkins and apples-
Heralds the harvest, gives thanks.

Foreboding grey shapes crowd, PAT SCHAEFER
Swell in the sky;
Something whispers,
Something sighs,
Something dies.

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