Midwinter Foliage
Nature breathes her first chilled breath
And winds of summer bid adieu
Blossoms yield to a gentle death
Brilliant colors lose their hue
Winter is coming, fall is here
And a response sweeps over the land
Acorns are unearthed by deer
Squirrels chatter to form a plan
But the starkest change of all
Carried out by invisible thieves
Is the feature that defines fall
Of trees losing their leaves
To the sacrifice, wise oaks upheld
And let their leaves tumble down
Yet one proud sapling did rebel
And kept her green from turning brown
Forest creatures sat in awe
as there in vanity stood
The lush tree defying law,
Against the forest of barren wood
When the sun shone brightly
How the lime leaves did glow
And played across lightly
On the soft blanket of snow
But winter light slides away
Like footprints in the sand
Escaping quickly and giving way
To Winter’s frostbitten hand
Pierced by sharp ice and winds
The sapling weakly cried
And bent down before the mountains
To ask for mercy, forgoed her pride
The granite giants spared her
And sang a mysterious refrain
“Remember this now youngster
Current loss for future gain”
When the warm winds returned
Travel weary, but grinning from east to west
The lesson of giving was fully learned
For a future at its best
