November Leaves, for Emmy
Really, it’s not up to leaves alone to fall
it is a collective agreement
by November life becomes about
what to hold onto & how
life becomes a story of precision maintenance
in preparation for an ultimate letting go
an understanding of the shift into a quiet
deeper existence for a time
& so leaves do what they do best in November
express – in their plight to absorb energy
chaos ensues & the damage speaks
in screams of colours beyond green
the ouch of yellow
the burn of orange
the rage of red
the spectrum of destruction is an outburst
& the tender truth of it all is that these slaps
of brightness were there all along
cradled in the grrr of green
& even though the fall is imminent
the whole process is simply
an exquisite exercise in recovery
Thank you to the family at Exisle Publishing for including my essay entitled ‘An Epic Love Story’ in their latest publication Turning Point. Congratulations to the many other contributors whose stories each are about poignant turning points in their lives.
VANESSA SHIELDS, writer 