Beauty

Three weeks ago, the fall colors
Were gold and green.
The slant light made all glow.
I could not imagine such beauty
Could last another week.

It didn’t. And yet.

The next week, the weather
Was superb, and the green vanished,
As yellows and gold tones took over.
It was a week that was good to be alive.
I could not imagine such beauty
Could last another week.

It didn’t. And yet.

The next week, the reds came out,
And the leaves started to fall,
But there were more on the trees
Than on the ground.
I could not imagine such beauty
Could last another week.

It didn’t. And yet.

Today as I drove the ground was
An orange carpet, the trees
Orange and burnt sienna,
So that I felt a bit like
Peter Pumpkin Eater’s wife,
Living in a pumpkin shell.
A glowing world of beauty.
I cannot imagine such beauty
Will last another week.

It probably won’t. And yet.

When the trees lose their leaves,
The shape of the mountain appears.
The houses tucked away become visible.

The drab winter is not flashy like fall,
But can I not acknowledge its gifts,
Its beauty, as well?