One scarlet leaf resting lightly 
on a bed of seasons past.
Vivid sign that the leafy green
and gentle warmth of summer
will inevitably give way to
the riotous colors of fall.
The languid pace of a summer
walk in the woods
will quicken in response
to the snap of chill in the air.  
This lonely leaf will soon
be joined by the tumble and swirl
of countless others as nature’s
rhythm continues unabated.
The green of summer will give way
to the technicolor dream coat of fall,
and then rest under a blanket of white
before the cycle all begins again.