I Am But An Autumn Leaf


I am not a queen bedecked in gold

A regal court and castle fair do not
My heart enclose within stone walls. 

Beheld by most in whispered awe,
Unbridled beauty often praised,
This humble child of earth is all I be

A royal bloodline I have not,
No crown and velvet robe for me;

A simple servant, more the like,
Unaccustomed to the revelry
That my appearance breeds; 
Underneath the harvest moon
My frailness shows when cold winds blow,
No mighty claim to fame have I

Lo, wintery breath does tinge my soul,
Each day my flaming wings unfold,
Alas, a meagre handmaiden am I, 
For I am but a lowly autumn leaf


october 2007
Janet Reid