Winter Elsewhere

The days are getting shorter;
daylight gliding off
to winter somewhere else
while shadows grow ever longer
across the land. 

Reds, yellows and oranges,
while they last, 
dot the landscape like splashes
from a painter’s brush
dipped in the sun’s gold,
before finally they drip
in more muted shades
to carpet the ground.

Whispers underfoot
mimic a cheerful chatter,
saying something about love
and lovers walking hand in hand,
with wind in their hair 
and a light in their eyes
as they amble into autumn. 

I slide my hand inside my pocket,
cupping a wish within my palm
that I could ride those shadows
to winter elsewhere too.



september 2005