Message on leaves

Leaves. Trees full of leaves
They fall, and more leaves fall,
And more. And some leaves
Hang on there on tentative threads,
Leaf hinges, fluttering.

Every leaf bears a message
Scripted in colours
Scripted in shape
Scripted in time.

A message from the sky,
A message from the wind,
The sun, the rain,
From cold nights, from short days.

As the leaf flies off the tree
In its delicate dance
Defined by wind and weight,
It whirls and turns and gusts in air
In its unique pattern,

Until Its dance is done and it lands
And lies with others to be crunched
And decay, fragrantly mingling with the soil
To return its elements to earth.

© Ruth Green