Poem number 8 of 2024 is due today in the Deadlines for Writers online group. I wrote free verse which began with the prompt "Nine Months," which morphed as I thought about it into "The Passage of Time."
A Walk along the Ridge
She strolls the wooded path in celebration of Fall.
Brilliant colored leaves swirl - yellow and red and gold -
Catching leaves in her hands and dividing them with her
steps,
She spots a low-hanging tree branch and stops to rest.
The tree, having lost its youth, trembles in the Autumn
wind,
And she knows,
Even as Autumn leaves swirl around her feet,
She knows that
Just a few steps around the bend,
Winter waits.
She watches as the late light plays on the fallen Autumn leaves.
Closing her eyes to better hear the melody on the breeze,
Sunny Spring and Summer seasons fill her memory.
Those were carefree days
Vibrant greens and blues danced in the sunspots along the
forest path
Long into the tardy sunset.
Just minutes ago, it seems, the grass was green
And pregnant yellow-green buds,
Bursting with unborn life,
Filled the branches overhead,
The embodiment of wonder waiting to be discovered.
In those fruitful Spring and Summer days,
The Sun stayed high in the sky long and warm!
And children played late in the meadow!
She shifts her unsure seat on the sagging branch
Which seems somehow to signify her very being.
Seasons have come and gone!
Come and gone!
Come and gone!
Like fingers snapping.
Winter!
Spring!
Summer!
Fall!
The seasons have flowed
And flown.
Magic memories of Spring and Summer persist…
And their joy and beauty remain clear and pure.
Spring was hope and anticipation.
Summer was good and fulfilling!
And now the Fall of life is waning.
Winter is just around the bend.
Still she whispers, “Yes!”
“Winter can be beautiful,”
She reminds herself.
She rises from her Autumn resting bough
And walks into her Winter with Joy and an open heart.
(Inspired by "Seasons" by Deborah Malone.