Alive In Fall Poem by Barry Middleton

the wind is breath
it sings in the trees
sibilant rain whispers
it christens the grass

in the wet thicket
a silent deer hides
and the fox sleeps
and the owl waits

a final maple leaf
clings to its branch
the Virginia creeper
is a scarlet tatter

clouds mask the sky
and in the distance
there is soft laughter
and a scent of smoke

faraway muted sounds
claim there is more
like the rush of a river
like the beat of a heart