Leaf
Abscission (noun)*
- the act of cutting off; sudden termination.
- Botany. the normal separation of flowers, fruit, and leaves from plants.
Leaves change color in a glorious display for only a short time, only to fall to the ground, dead.
Trees lose their magnificent crown, drop their jewels, shed their shimmering coats, just before the onslaught of bitter, brutal cold, winter winds, and ice and snow. Why at that moment of time?
Tree
Leaf-glory shines brightest before Tree dies during autumn. It shines, then releases its treasure. Only a spindly skeleton remains for the long winter season.
Branches remain lifted upward like arms in praise. With a dark, cold season approaching, Tree surrenders bravely as it is stripped of its glorious coat of color and stands bare naked in the coldest months of the year.
Leaf Maker
The Leaf Maker’s leaves only last a season.
Yet trees laugh leaves, float in the wind, fall down to the ground. I catch a handful of laughter, toss it back in the air.
A hidden beauty sparkles in growing old and in death, revealed and witnessed through vibrant colors of burnt orange, flaming scarlet, deep gold, signaling mirth and hues of grace in an aging autumn.
I, too, am another year older, passing through another autumn, an unknown number of autumns remaining…
Read the rest of my post at The Mudroom Blog