Leaves just fall

Like a human with no care in the world

Or a soul searching for a home

Like it's timed

Before the next person jumps out of a plane on their first sky dive

Premeditated

Each leaf knows when it's next

To meet the feat

And the fate of other leaves crunching beneath my feet

Floating down in such a way that looks like they're saying "I'm next or wheee wheee" like the little piggy crying all the way home



It's now or now


All in competition for the most creative landing

Categories like most flips before falling to the ground or the most graceful float around

Descending in pairs of two, maybe with the leaf they grew next to

Not in this alone

None

Meeting every family member and neighbor in the same place

All the same fate




I wonder how the strongest leaves feel when all have left the tree and they remain

Through the colder weather

Sometimes through snow

Always through rain

Proud or lonely

Or are they weak?

Afraid to fall and leave the comfort of their roots

Or serving as a symbol and a remembrance of the life of the tree once bearing the greenest of leaves that we all seem to forget about when fall comes

Too fascinated and enraptured by the leaves that change colors because they're different from the norm

Yet we miss them through the winter as we tear them apart

As we walk throughout each day going through what they go through

Falling and shedding as graceful or messy as we can be

With or without someone beside us

Pieces of us we let die and give up for new life

We wait to be reborn with the trees

Until a new season rolls around and we.... marvel over the falling of leaves again



When there is no longer something pretty and new to amuse us

We long for old things

Always coming back full circle, always beginning


Always beginning