Fluttering like dragonflies
Teasing one another
And passing eyes
With a bright daylight
Firework display
That’s promised to last
At least for a season anyway
Enticing young and old
Splashing streets in multi-color disarray
Wisps of cool breezes
That paint shivers down your spine

They watch
All the strolling people
Watery eyed from the cold
Wrapped in wool coats
Inhaling the scent of pies baking
Searching for their loved one's hand to hold

They watch
Traditions of a season
Families gathered as one
Around turkey with all the trimmings
Grandma with her floured apron
Kids carving jack-o-lanterns
Giggling pink-cheeked out in the chill
As wood in the fireplace burns
As night falls and all becomes still

They watch
Until with sudden surrender
They free fall at random
Meander with a sway
Waving as if to tell us
They simply can't stay
Through the air
To the ground where they lay
And remain heart to heart with the earth
With a message to convey
Skittering behind passersby
In the wind they whisper 'come play'

They watch
Blend
A symphony of a season

11/20/2006

Author's Note: This was written a few years ago when I had an apartment in the city and did a fair amount of people watching, especially during the Fall.

Posted on 11/21/2006
Copyright © 2025 Melissa Panther