Autumn Goes to Sleep

[passion_bleeds]

The trees were now exposed; they were bare as
Autumn stole their plush green cover. Shed on
the ground, and now orange, red, and yellow,
leaves lay still in the almost bitter cold.
We walked-or better yet, we strolled-sifting
through the fallen shrouds. My glove grasped her
mitten, with our hands warm inside and slightly
swaying. We walked in silence, me looking straight
forward and her looking straight down.
I glanced at her from the corner of my eye
and smiled; the kind of smile where just the right
side of your lips go up. I stopped, turned
and faced her and waited for her eyes to meet
mine. She still faced forward with her head
down, but I saw her look up at me through
her periphery. She flashed those white stainless
teeth I loved to see, then I squatted down
and cupped as many leaves as I could with
my arms. I looked back up at her from my crouch
and threw the leaves as high I could. She laughed
and jumped around, like we did when we were four,
and tried to catch as many leaves she could.
After they fell, she smiled and looked
at me and dropped the leaves she caught. I took
a step to her and grabbed both her hands, looked up
to the sky at the gray cover. I looked at her
and saw the first flake of snow fall on her nose.

...veritas et caritas...