A MESSAGE FROM THE FROSTY LEAVES OF AUTUMN

The golds,
   the greens, browns, oranges
and many colors of leaves
    of autumn have fallen

one more time from the trees
     and they have
made a big beautiful show
     to warm our hearts,
flitting this way and that
    blowing everywhere
in the cold brisk winds coming
    in from the north,
scurrying across driveways,
    up and down the streets
along the curbs...

 They have done their
         work  and are now
finally at rest under
      the first cold frost
of the Fall--their colors
    are now fading slowly....

Ah, but they have given us
    a marvelous message---
a sense of time...and the seasons...
    and life with its Miracles...

as they tell us--- that it's time--- we
    need to settle down
with fireplaces ablaze, a good
    book, a favorite quilt--relaxed
in the old leather Lazy-Boy...

It's time to trade in the iced tea
   of summer for a mug
of hot cocoa....or hot soup to sip...
   maybe rev things down a bit
as nature has done   a time
   to think positive thoughts
of beauty   and life  and Creation

remembering the cold mornings
    coming     with breakfasts
like at grandma's---on the farm...
   bacon, eggs, grits, gravy,
biscuits, pancakes, red-eye gravy,
   red raspberry jelly, with plenty
of real butter  marvelous smells
    galore and windows sweating...

Recalling    grandpa comes in
    from milking, dropping snow,
letting in a  cold fresh wind...

Memories, memories, Fall-time
   once more
      yes   the frosty leaves
do have a message
    if we only listen.
-----------
BY MIL
12 OCTOBER 18

"THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE"

We go thru life
    sometimes
not knowing (or caring)
    what
is on the other side of
    the fence...

Shakespeare never
   thought of that
or there would have
     likely been
a pithy saying...

What is always there--
    (there is always
        the OTHER side)
might really be a good
    thing
for us if we'd just look...

Wake up
    and smell
         the tomatoes....

Today B.E. found a
     big red ripe
TOMATO on the other
    side
on the "volunteer" vine--
   an aloof and
independent plant, living
    and producing
alone.... in its own right...

A really nice big juicy
    ripe tomato ...found

Unknown and unseen
     all summer
long---gathering whatever
    water it could
and sunlight     whenever

Tell us   is there a moral
    or a lesson
or even a poem here?

*************
MIL
7 OCTOBER 18