Lawrence Hall, HSG
These are not the
Leaves of Autumn
These are not the leaves of autumn, these husks;
They died so young, fallen from the summer-burnt oaks
Leaving the lingering limbs barren of green
A struggle of woody cells against the drought
They wear no celebratory colors
Nothing of red or gold to catch the sun
For they died of thirst in their lost-green youth
Never reaching the October they had earned
These are not the leaves of autumn, oh, no
But only shells dry-rattling in the wind
Lawrence Hall
https://hellopoetry.com/lawrence-hall/
poeticdrivel.blogspot.com
The Retiring of Old Snow
Clinging to blue shadows
and shades and trees
Stained ice and sleet and
snow from days ago
Silently steams away as vapour,
as mist
Beneath today’s yellow and
slanting sun
On Monday eve the skies
were low and grey
And Tuesday morn soft
flakes began to float
And then the rattle of
indelicate sleet
Sent every creature to its
appointed burrow
And now the little that’s
left hides from the breeze
Clinging to blue shadows
and shades and trees
