Autumn Fall Poem by Laurence Overmire

I remember the autumn of that year
Her long brown hair
The soft gentleness of her eyes
The playful squeeze of her hand
Unseasonably warm November days
We walked hand in hand, arm in arm, heart in heart
Kicking the leaves in Central Park
Watching tiny sailboats glide like feathers on a glassy pool
Lying in the shade of oak and maple
While the sun fondly bid the day goodbye…

Love, in an instant, had banished sorrow
And time stood still for a second or two
But the winds of December were not to be denied
And as the new year dawned
I died
The blasted shell of a man left to its decay
Through the dark black night of winter
Slowly
Imperceptibly
A new-born wing emerging from the ruin
Phoenix heart rising.


(Previously published in Nomad's Choir, Vol.8, Issue 4, Fall 2000; Poetry & Art, Feb.2001)