Leaves reveal true colorations and

a cerulean sky is more beautiful than

words can describe. There is a crispness

to air I breathe causing me to inhale

deeply;  humidity takes a break leaving

an atmosphere no longer steamy and

sweltering. No wonder I await this

time of year with joyous anticipation.

Yet it is not without shortcomings.

Nuts underfoot remind us how fast we

can be on the ground – ball bearings for our feet.

The sun shines at sharper angles – blindingly

bright both morning and evening.

Hours of daylight decrease –

leaving  me desiring more sunlight – and

mourning added hours of darkness.

Darkness that can consume me with longing for

daylight and the joy it contains. Darkness born of fewer

available hours of sunlight as we move from

Autumnal Equinox toward  Winter Solstice.

It’s this paradox which leaves me feeling torn

between my longing for fall and its distinctive dance toward

winter; and the Winter Solstice and its trudge toward the

Vernal Equinox and lusciously lavish new life of spring.