Crumpled Leaves

©2010, Olan L. Smith

Leaves lay crumpled in the yard.

Brown—

Drying—

Dead—

Lifeless entities

Left to rake, burn

Or rot where they pile,

Abandoned trees

Forsaken—

Denuded—

Silhouettes

In the sun—

Whispery shadows

Before a luminous orb.

Leaves—

Like our bodies

Become

Fertilizer for Gaia's

Enriched blackened soil,

Readied for cultivation.

Vestiges—

Are our spirits

Homeless—

Like leaves departing their progenitor

Perhaps floating in ether—

Or purgatory—

Even Hades;

Yet, heaven anticipates

Those who recognize

Love.