Copyright 2020 by S. Thomas kaza

1

The crisp morning air

Noisy geese pass overhead

Leaves crunch under foot

I had forgotten her

In the glorious blaze of Summer

But now I anticipate

Autumn

I can still smell the smoke

Of the fires we left burning

Still feel the ache

In my heart for home yearning

When they rallied the thanes

With our shields and our swords

Rallied the thanes

To our banners and lords

And we marched off to fight

The viking hordes

I did not return home that time

2

Tart apple cider

Sweetness squeezed to the last drop

Warm brown murky juice

I had not thought of her

When the August rains filled the creek to its banks

But now she has arrived

Autumn

I can still feel the joy

Filling my heart

As I handed him the sweater

When he climbed on the cart

He left our home on the farm

To learn the new science

Left our home

To stand among giants

To unlock the heavens

And speak in defiance

He returned home marked a heretic

3

A leaf falls onto

The surface of a still pond

Ripples hide the world

She strides in all her splendor

Her reds and golds bursting forth

We embrace once again

Autumn

I can still hear the flute

The lonely tune it played

Near the temple where the monks

For enlightenment prayed

I stopped by a lake

To rest on a stone

Stopped by a lake

And brushed out a poem

And later that day I made a fair deal

A merchant claimed my lines

In exchange for a meal

I reached my granddaughter’s home the next day