a gift

autumn leaves cover
bare soil - a distant favor
from the silent trees

Although i may no longer be in New York able to enjoy the visible beauty of autumn foliage in the north east, i am still enthralled by the spirit of the season, and perhaps, more than ever. Working outside on the farm today in the open air, brisk as shattered glass, surrounded by the lively sounds of the farm animals and in the company of a golden retriever, and two sibling swiss mountain dogs, I discovered myself as an active role in nature's continuous movement. The leaves, colorful or not, inevitably fall to return to the earth from which they are born. Sometimes the wind may carry them, moving them away from their tree of life, but no farther from the source. They cover the Earth, and it is Autumn who asks this deed of the trees. Looking at the soil beds in the garden, I ask not of the leaves to change their purpose or their fate, but only to help bring life by sheltering and covering the crops in these cold nights. The trees silent in this agreement, continue to let go of their beautiful creations, allowing a part of them to leave. That beauty will grow once more several months from now, and that beauty will exist even in the winter as the world shares in the silence of the trees. No longer is the beauty of autumn a visual entity, but it is alive in the spirit of the season. The beauty is found within the silent change of the morning air. The beauty is found in being aware that outside of the walls of our homes, we discover ourselves alive in change. When we return home physically and mentally exhausted with the earths soil staining our hands, we bring with us a wisdom and an understanding of the way of things, and the change that permeates our being.