The leaves crunch under my feet,
orange brown flames that lick at my toes
and melt into my mouth.
The chocolate easing into my reality
drowning out forgiven history
Each step, each bite building a monument
that soars on the chill autumn breeze
a castle in the clouds but real.
I swallow this feeling whole and pause
the hole now filled while wholly unaware
by kind gestures that transcend miles
and discover depths before unknown.
The leaves are dancing before my eyes
earthy fairies released to bless the air
with glints of their red, brown, orange and yellow wings,
transcendent in their sacrifice
like the gales of laughter
and bubbles of joy that from me rise
each iridescent color a perfect marvel
I stand alone in the dusky wood,
framed by a timeless sunset
older than time and beyond forever
but younger than a newborn memory.
I watch the butterfly leaves dance death
rejoice life and make parting sacred
I take another bite and swallow the moment
and then I dance because pain is precious
made perfectly poignant by pity personified.
The moment, a canvas
and pain the brush, the brush
in the hand of an artist
who kills the sun and bleeds it
smearing the sky with its sacrifice
the fiery orange, pale pink gold and royal purple
of faded glory illuminate the sky
to offset the darkness within
and without as I dance alone
each step a history, a memory
eating the moment and tasting in my mouth
chocolate and freedom.
Dedicated to my friend Granny Lica