October Fires Poem by Bryan Riley

Gazing out upon the world
that is my kingdom
Leaves turning;
colors- springing up like
little fires here, there

A riot of color
a forest of gemstones
Ruby, garnet, topaz
mingle with the
emerald backdrop
of evergreens

A beautiful Indian Summer day-
or is it Native American or
Indigenous People's Summer?
Damn Columbus! Why did he
have to be so dead-wrong?

The mist steals in to
shroud the spectacle

Falling asleep for
just a moment- then waking
to find the world has gone
brown and grey and
October's fires have
given over to
November rain