Momijigari Poem by Mary Champion

Green Japan may blush crimson -
scarlet; wine; vermillion;
cardinal; coral; maroon
and soon,
auburn; amber; ginger;
finally, fading to fuscous
as it dies and drops.

But the oak, less showy,
turns green to yellow,
gold and mellow
then coffee stained
before it too succumbs.

As the colours fade
we may hear the faint notes
of a spectral symphony -
the Spring sonata,
the slow burning notes of Summer,
the crescendo of Autumn
and finally
the silence that hints at Winter.