Autumnal Equinox Poem by Chris Ernest Nelson

As the wind shifts and the sun drops in the sky
I am feeling the autumn of my life set in.
For some time now I have watched the pylons
that mark my horizon and count my days
near the intersection where they meet
with our great star.

Here they mark my second equinox,
the one they call autumnal,
the one that trumpets the end of summer,
the approach of white winter,
and the lullaby of goodbyes.
Sing now or never.

Now is the time to count how all my sins
and failings have led me to this place
of feeling and a richness of experience
that has been my lesson in mortality.
What once were burdens of shame
have become my wings.

What need do we have of accounting
when none of us are free
and the book is written now?
Let us take hands in this season
of forgiveness and grace-
and put the pain to rest.