Early October Musings: (Ward Jackson Park: Hartlepool, October 7th,2020) Poem by DM W

Early October: soft winds breathe out leaves
Across the park. They rustle. O they spill
Their vibrant colours like confetti dreams!
Shadows lengthen; soon all will be filled
With a hallowed stillness as Time slows down
And rests and Nature withdraws Her verdant will.
A park bench is covered with ochre - brown
And faint green leaves. I guess I'll recline on
It for a while and then contemplate life's
Chequered processions and subtle patterns
That underpin this rampant modern strife.
I recall the blessed, autumnal moments
That have blazed forth in my own lifetime.
Darker thoughts emerge, as things turn silent.
These slow burning years of smoke filled decline.
Mark the rusted November of the soul;
That ushers in solemn hymns, haunting signs
Amidst cold, hard rain and tainted gold.
The sun's final rays fade into the trees.
My tired heart reminds me that this day
Will shortly be consigned to memory;
As I will be by this world's eerie play:
A flawed actor, who formed poetic lines,
Laid waste by the certain passing of time.