Changing Poem by Claudia Krizay

In the autumn, leaves change colors, to rusts, yellows, reds and browns.
This is a change that I shall always cherish-
In its innocence, beauty and almost magically,
Colorful trees shall brighten up the world.
When the seasons change, we welcome the cooler weather at the end of the summer,
Or the air warming at the arrival of spring,
Every season has its splendor, while the changes of the seasons are not threatening,
People however can change, in their temperaments,
In their moods, and their interests as they grow older-
Sometimes for the better, and for some, for the worst, and
The ways that people change can be frightening and unpredictable.
How I covet the leaves transforming in their colors at the
Onset of autumn and crocuses and daffodils blossoming
As spring begins- don’t we all enjoy being outdoors
To witness the changing of the seasons-
Cool breezes caressing our arms in such a comforting way,
Flowers blooming and leaves transforming in their colors-
And the snow shall fall in the wintertime,
Decorating the barren trees, and blanketing the ground.
I would venture outward daily to appreciate
These gifts each season brings us and to be the queen
Of this world would be my utmost desire-
However people I have encountered in years past
Could become different in their nature and spirit
In a most fickle and terrifying way-
In a way that would lead me to feel under attack
Every time I walk outside my front door-
It seems almost unbelievable that the gifts of nature God has given us
Can remain splendid with every change but
Because I do not trust humankind with all of its inconsistency
I do not feel safe outdoors amongst nature for fear that I could be harmed?
I remember being locked inside a room they call seclusion, so strangely terrifying, and
Presently in some ways I feel as if I never have left that room and I shall remain
Phobic of what is outside, and not being able to enjoy
The magnificence of the natural part of the world I so admire?
Let the autumn leaves fall, let flowers to blossom in the spring and let
The birds sing in chorus with the locusts in the summertime and let
The snow to fall to the ground in the wintertime-I shall look out of my picture window
Hoping for the day I could walk outside freely- and that I myself would change with
All of my fears vanishing in the wind with the innocence of every season, and that
I would accept the fact that change is just a part of life, for everyone and everything-