Today, as leaves dance to the dark earth
red, gold, brown
mist soars to obscure the high mountain peaks
a mesmerizing mood

Brings me back to younger days when I flipped, flopped, splashed
in a myriad of puddles
while my mother shrieked "Don't get your pants wet"
I asserted my independence and gloated
in my own  slap happy world
not a word did I hear

At once, I smell the dew
Grass still green from frequent summer rains
listen to the squeaky wet grass beneath my boots
take note of those tiny morsels stuck underside

A macabre walk in the clouds
a muzzy vision of the sticks in the forest
tree tops just a mirage
I snap a photo to trap the ghostly silence
which attests to my musing temper