After Fall

Originally Published September 6th, 2014

After Fall

Hate is a strong word
Yet, juxtaposition is everything
Rollerblades/pedicures: see what I mean?
And surprises: my daughter speaks Chinese!
Who does not love the smell of autumn at dusk?
The singing of crickets?
Who does not recognize this callous on the last joint of the middle finger
from the wood of the pencil and every single thing said and done before?
There is still a way to be unselfish
I am in love with the shaggy shapes of trees
and the spiciness of this September air inside my lungs
Yet, poor yellow leaf
And in the distance, out of sight, voices, laughter, the
noisy struggle to pedal up the hill, the
long coast down