Autumn up north is upon us again,
with sharp contrasts and fallen leaves,
squirrels and chipmunks scurry about,
preparing for the winter snow.

Days of polished azure skies,
backdrop to sugar maples
on fire in the colors of change:
burnt oranges, crimson reds, and golds.

Leaves twist and twirl in the air
on their way to their winter rest,
crunching and scratching
on sidewalks before me.

The shrill caw, caw, caws of blue jays,
cut through the thin morning air,
heralding the oncoming cold,
with sharp gusts that sting the cheeks.

The scents of autumn so familiar,
musty and crisp, inviting and blustery,
envelop me in memories of years past,
like a familiar friend calling me out to play.

My heart aches for what you once were.
Memories of unrivaled wilderness,
pristine and unique,
burned into my memory.

You were once my home:
a shining beacon of light in my life.
But you’ve passed with my youth,
like so many memories, eroded by time.

Yet, did I ever know you at all?
gazing at you through ****** eyes,
with a freshness of a love unknown.
Were you ever there, oh Hiraeth of Oz?

The wood beacons me with quiet whispers,
whistling through leaves and branches bare.
Songs of ancient, enchanted trees
and spirits dancing in joyous delight.

A low moan in the night implores me,
inviting me deep into its glade,
to witness heaven’s masterwork
in awakening stars that light my way.

I feel the spirits, amidst the twilight’s mist,
embracing me, welcoming me.
My child dances joyously within
as I find my way back home.

Tiny petals, like flakes of snow
brush lightly against my cheek
Like a lover’s caress you kiss
my winter white skin.

Petals dance to the ground,
with each breath of wind,
swirling in elegant pirouettes,
heralding spring in newness of life.

Standing amidst the other gums,
in a land red orange with age,
you reach out your gnarled limbs,
outstretched to azure blue.

Gray, smooth bark belies your age,
your title, hard won among the saplings.
Through years of draught and culling fires,
you stood your ground.

In silence absolute, we drifted,
on the evening current,
beneath the hazy full moon
of a December sky.

Floating on night breezes,
our spirits awed, amazed.
Rock walls pulsating with life.
in a chorus of light.

Cliffs towering above,
draped in nature’s Christmas lights,
winking in turquoise and white,
as we passed beneath.

Entranced by this purity of creation,
guided by the river’s strength.
This magical night, so perfect and surreal
remains in breathless memory.

You died, slipping into my memory like the ghost you were.
I held you high on a pedestal, above the winds of change.
But time caught up to the friend you once were,
and you fell too far for me to catch.