Leaves

I saw the leaves a-turning,
Rustling round and round.
And with such little effort,
They lit upon the ground.

Swirling in their antics,
On every street in town.
They skipped along the side-walks,
With the actions of a clown.

In coppered tones of coloring,
Not ever were they still.
In fluttering ways and curtsies,
They danced a gay quadrille.

The wind-chimes softly fluttered down,
Like the tinkling of a bell.
And from a far and distant place,
I heard a funeral knell.

For leaves were fastly falling,
Earth's favor's now they gave.
For they...like men are summoned,
To come and take the grave.


E.P. 1908 - 1989