The ancient eavesdropper

An alien
archway
yawns wide —
its rabid jaws
wrought with
white froth —
rows of
windows
eyeing a
solitary tree —
appetite
building.

In Autumn,
when time slows down,
your mind recollects
moments cast away
in your busy state;
that is why so many
leaves pile at your feet.

Lie
prostrate
like a leaf —
meditate
with your
face planted
on earth —
find the
roots of
your peace.

Crossing 
my path —
an 
animated 
leaf —
my heart
skips a beat.

Wind flurries &
flailing limbs —
a tree’s futile act 
as leaves 
f
a
l
l

out

of

its

grasp.

Discarded &
downtrodden —
tattered edges 
& fading colors —
rain-soaked 
leaves renew
their luster.

Raindrops
puddle jump
like hydrophilic
trampolines.

A jumble
of sounds
litter the
forest floor —
colorful
language
textured
with life —
the
splendid
verbiage
of foliage.

The 
elegant 
pirouettes 
of countless 
leaves 
tip-toeing
from canopies
onto life’s
final stage.

A break in the rain
turbid puddles stilled 
birds drip down from 
trees for a drink.

Dark glossy oblong pools 
stacked sky-born shingles 
mercurial raven feathers.

Leaves pitched 
like festive tents
on our lawn —
slugs, worms & 
newts awaken 
& yawn —
venturing outside
to greet the dawn.

Through the years 
I witnessed my world 
fall around me 
yet here I stand today
limbs held high
a survivor.

Tree shadows slant
like diagonal bars
marking the miles
as the trail
embarks —
dappled light
crosswalks
over my face
to a sheltered
space of soft duff —
bird songs echo
from the canopy
safe and sound
in close company —
a welcoming aura
envelopes this
moment and
all is at ease.

Once
exuberant
petals
wilt into a
faded frown —
golden hints
lost among
the mire of
circumstance —
grown upright
under
stark light
now a
hunched stem
bowing to
darkness —
indifferent
winds
buffet the
soul from
my solace —
the sun
from my
orbit —
waiting for
a revival
of warmth
to whisper
its presence.