When Fall Comes

I want to bloom this fall while all else withers.
My smile will radiate the warmth of
all the falling leaves.

I want my arms, like bare branches, to reach into
the sky, capturing the last rays of
summer sun before it fades.

I want my mind to sway slowly in the breeze,
sweeping dust from the corners and clearing the stage
where my thoughts will play.

I want my spirit to pass through the empty houses
of friends that time has taken from me,
bidding a silent farewell.

I want my soul to sleep in the palm of a peaceful evening,
securely held by faith in a new dawn.

I want to bloom this fall while all else withers,
to burst open with the force of a rain cloud,
watering the seeds of spring.

Karen Zedler
August 14, 1974