Ere long, Summer's harvest has reached its crest,
and clear, azure skies fade to Autumn gray.
Pursuing sunny, warm places to nest,
winged creatures, great and small, fly away.
As Love and light wanes, the short days cool down.
Leaves of lush florae hastily change hue:
Green to gold to red, then bleak shades of brown,
fluttering to Earth on seasonal cue.
For that which was sown, Fall is time to reap,
slash and burn away the dying and dead.
Only sturdy roots - underground, grown deep -
are prepared for the cold evenings ahead.
When hope seems lost, one fireless winter night,
from soil and ash the rare Phoenix takes flight!
