Thoughts upon watching a small child dance with a handful of fallen leaves
Fallen
Wind-blown
Brittle
Cracked, cracking
An autumn leaf
Lifted in the fingers of a child
Awed at the brilliance of fire orange
And the prominent vein tracks
Held high
During the dance
Twirling
Eyes upturned to the heavens
Delight
In the face of life-ending illness
Moments continue to dance
With hope
Promise
Love
God continues to lift us up
During the dance of faith
Death’s sting buried
Beneath a pile of autumn leaves
God of the seasons,
Sometimes I feel
Untethered
And wind-blown
Like an autumn leaf
My old bones brittle
My aged skin cracked, cracking
With prominent vein tracks
Like a fallen autumn leaf
The vibrancy and green
Now shadows, memories
Even the brilliance of fire orange fades
And the promise of dusty decomposition nears
In the face of life-ending illness
Like a falling leaf twirling
Moments continue to balance on breezes
And I hear you whisper
of Hope
Promise
Love
Wherever I fall
During the dance of faith
You will lift me up
Death’s sting buried
Beneath a pile of autumn leaves
Photo – Autumn leaves, by Carol Kreis
