LEAVES
In the Autumn my Nyssa’s leaves turn colour and begin to fall
In shades of gold and brown in ones and twos they drop,
Increasing daily in their number
Messy at first becomes a whole carpet of mottled shades and patterns
Clean up, clean up, that’s the action plan for the next three weeks
Clearing the roof and gutters then raking and gathering up the leaves
The dog frolics in the heaps, scattering my work
Causing me angst with the need to rake them up again
I chase away the dog who enjoys the ‘game’.
Winter arrives with the tree now bare
Allowing the sun to shine through and warm the house
In Spring the tree awakes and buds slowly appear and the world takes on a fresh look of green
Daily adding more new growth and filling out the canopy
Rebirth in nature’s way
Summer comes all too quickly bringing the hot days which we can enjoy in moderation
The Nyssa’s leaves now protect us like an umbrella, shading the courtyard
and cooling the house