By eaves, burdened by the weight of pendulous leaves
Dropped by spent trees
The pulse of sap
Stilled within them.
By branches curtseying and bending tunefully
In anticipation of the dance they are called to
By gossiping winds
unable to hold their chatter.
By sleeping dog, untroubled by arthritic knees
As she chases industrious squirrels
Whispering death to them in stifled barks
Pleasure outpouring the soft container of her dreams.
Autumn, her breath tinged with the gold of promised darkness,
Exhales gently across the waiting land
And dusk seeps
Through closed lids
To meet her lover
As night descends.
Copyright/All Rights Reserved Audrey Howitt 2011