Suddenly
by Tom King
Suddenly
it's fall. The cottonwoods announced it today
With
a gold and russet ticker tape parade;
A
shower of leaves raining down when a sudden breeze
Gusted
among the treetops, shaking them loose.
Me
and the dog, rambling down the lane, were caught up in it.
The
crisp pop of dried leaves rattling down among the branches;
Blowing
into loose drifts at my feet made me look up.
Gray
clouds threaded across the fading blue sky.
The
dog is excited. All the dogs along the lane are barking and jumping,
They
smell the rabbits and the squirrels, making forays
From
brambles, thickets and decaying trees, pillaging and storing
Their
booty in treasure caches only they can find sometimes.
The
season changed today, not on the official date
But
on the schedule that the Earth and Sun decided.
We
feel small, me and the dog, wandering the gravel roads;
There
are bigger things going on that we may not meddle with.
Autumn
came suddenly today. Yesterday was
summer.
Now
it's fall - announced with a breathy whisper
Along
the lane, beneath the cottonwood trees
An
errant breeze pressed along by gray clouds.
It
feels like a celebration, what with the dogs and squirrels and leaves
All
a-twitter like kids let out of school, or going back after summer.
Something
staged by He who spun out the worlds and placed us here,
To
smile at Him when autumn is announced, all of a sudden.
© 2013 by Tom King
Written at the Carriage House – Puyallup, Washington
