Sympathy For An Autumn Leaf Poem by Paul Holmes

I watched you from my window
Clinging on for dear life,
Trembling on that thin branch,
Howling winds cut like a knife.

Your life was draining away,
Veins became raw and bare,
Inevitably you had to fall,
I watched you lay right there

Where my dirty brown boots
Crushed your brothers and sisters,
Crinkled scarlet and gold leaves
Piled up, covered with blisters.

There, resting at my feet
Like a fallen, scarlet star
Your pitiful life reminded me
Of how fragile we truly are.