Golden Leaves are unlatching from the maple,
swinging in the breeze with the motion of birds.
A V-formation of geese pulls wind through their
wings, quickly disappear over Palm Pond.

I understand the beauty of being in someone’s arms
during this season, so it doesn’t have to be forever,
just long enough to detach from the pain of yearning.
The leaves are little mirrors reflecting sunlight.

These are the last hours of the leaves that fall
to the ground without echoes. I would like
to decorate every room in my house with leaves
to extend the season beyond what a calendar allows.

I would have leaves on the china cabinet,
the table, the shelves, and I would bring in
a sprig a bittersweet to remind me of loves
I can do nothing about except to say that

they are gone. My heart collapses in the autumn.
I know nothing about why it does, except that
I keep reaching for something without a name,
something I long for as long as leaves flutter down

and the loneliness of autumn infuses my blood.

 

R. Nikolas Macioci earned a PhD from The Ohio State University, taught for Columbus City Schools for thirty years. The Ohio Council of Teachers of English, named Nik Macioci the best secondary English teacher in the state. Nik is the author of twenty-five books. He was twice nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.