Autumn's goodbye

 The last of the autumn leaves have fallen to the ground, leaving behind naked branches soon to be pit stops for the falling snow. The ground will harden, and new growth will stop until the sun comes out to work and springtime softens the soil.

The remnants of autumn will go from an artist's palette of color to a forgotten gray of winter soon to arrive. Empty fields of corn stalks and a battered scarecrow the birds rest upon, claiming victory. The streams still flow, but each day they grow colder until they're just a trickle of water dodging the ice, until all is frozen and stopped in its tracks until springtime comes along to give it movement again.
The end of autumn is a waiting game as the sky shows promise and snow clouds build up their strength, getting ready to open up and send blankets of white to cover everything they fall on. Those once-brilliant fall colors turn to a blinding white, with no color visible anywhere you squint to look. It came in the darkness of night, as kids dreamed of a snow day and jumped out of bed, looking out the window at mountains of snow inviting them outside to play in the frozen drifts and icy hills.
It's a long way off until next autumn, but the memories keep it alive in my thoughts, and they catch up to me as I brave the highest hill, sledding down at breakneck speed and running over a small pile of forgotten autumn leaves.

Mike  2026