the fall is chaos
words full of meaning in a language I don’t speak
the fall is a time of tumbling down one way or another
one decade to the next
past connect to present disconnect
these things attached to smells
hues of
invisible bonfires
fiery sunsets
washed-out sunrise, sunset
damp-dead matter
gathering under crumpled leaves
that swirl around my ankles
or stick underfoot
decayed nests
diseased organs
un-eased thoughts
the end of autumn
the threat of winter
knowing that there could not be a spring
in this hospital wing
these fallen leaves help us see
what we will become
what came before the tree
safe to know what comes after
will be familiar without us