Curtains open,
an autumn morning’s light
tumbles into the room.

Overnight, a stray leaf,
muddy-skinned with skinny veins
has somehow slapped

itself against the window.
The downpour, slept through,
but heard fragments,

the wind’s remonstrations,
beads of rain as though sorting
through buttons.

And there, on the glass, a soggy
brown symbol. Silent call for help,
a new place to make home.