Summer's Farewell

Tall weeds hang dry and dense,
Among the grasses of the fence.
Leaves unloose their hold on stalk,
Birds rise upward in a flock.

Words come quickly to the mouth,
They're getting ready for going south.
The cricket under the stone has hopped,
And petals from the rose have dropped.

Dark clouds strew the horizon,
The lush of fields have come and gone.
No perfume sifts upon the air,
And berry clusters...now are bare.

Rain has kissed the dry-brown earth,
The wind is tightening up its girth.
As summer ends her vibrant stay,
With memories of a glorious day.

And echoes well beyond the hills,
In fluted tones so clear and shrill.
"My time is spent, though not in vain,
When red leaves show...I'll come again."

E.P. 1908 - 1989