FALL
I’m sitting in the car
beside my country friend
in awe and fascination.
The yellow leaves reflect the sun
creating light even as day dims.
We drive.
One tall tree is a crimson slash
among a shorter cluster
of rust and tan.
Suddenly a blaze of red
so intense at the side of the road,
we pause a moment
to pay homage to its splendor.
What perverse force
created this spectacle
so rich and lush,
so full of color,
to signal the coming
of cold and grey?
Fall is too beautiful
to be about dying
but it is.