Autumn

The rain falls gently
Quenching the thirst of a landscape
Parched by the rays of the hot summer sun.
The song of the birds is now silenced.
The petals of a once brilliant flower have faded
A bright, azure sky with soft white clouds is gone,
Replaced by the gray dampness of the season.
The caressing breeze of summer
Has turned into the blustering winds of fall.

Leaves, once proudly perched on the limbs of trees,
Now dance gaily through the air,
Brightly colored in the warm tones of autumn.
Children laughing merrily on their way
As they hear the crackling sound of leaves beneath their feet.
A jack-o-lantern sits in the window,
Showing a wide, toothless grin or scowling frown.
The snapping of pitch from a burning log,

The faint scent of pine filling the room.
Flames leaping about as if it were a ballet
Performing for its audience.
The soft, comforting glow of candlelight,
Bringing with it serenity and quiet thoughts.
I sit in amazement watching all that is around me.
Yes, there is a God.
Only He could have made the wonders I see before me.
I will accept the solitude and indifference of winter
So I may anticipate and appreciate

The re-birth of spring.