Leaves

the wind came up today
blowing in autumn clouds overhead;
and closer to the ground,
blowing leaves through the air
in wild patterns -
straight lines
around corners
eddies behind buildings
mini-tornadoes, 6 feet high
and waiting for my bike to ride through

it may snow tomorrow
or rain may glue
brittle leaves to the grass,
softening them in the process
just as cool autumn air softens us
moving us inside to warmth
and toward a season of
(ideally) joyous feasting

tonight, though, before our feasts
I watch as out the window
days grow shorter,
late daylight and early darkness
announcing to me
(and to the squirrels feasting on
left-over jack-o-lanterns)
that through the leaves
still clinging to summer,
we can see winter approaching