As she coasts through the faded streets,
taking turns lightly, effortlessly following the curves of the road,
Autumn changes the colors of her leaves—from green to yellow and soon to red.
The same pattern over and over again, predictable just as before.
They fall from the trees, slowly blowing in the gentle wind.
Almost touching the ground, a gust of wind spins the leaves higher,
swirling them around in dance, pairing the red with the yellow.
A seemingly friendly tango turns into a rage of jealously
when the daffodil-shaped leaf bumps into a green leaf.
Red’s rage boils over turning him a darker shade,
as she whirls away looking for a safe place she never finds.
Raindrops fall heavily, darkening the pavement ahead,
distracting her from the lives of the leaves.
They splatter on the windshield, blurring her vision,
she blinks and flicks the switch to wipe the rain away.
Like hands to a face, they flip back and forth,
trying to rid the shield of tears, but this endless battle of rain persists.
On the highest speed, the wipers cannot fully erase,
for the memories have already been made, the damage has already been done.
She arrives at her house, once considered a home, now yields no happiness.
A song sounds in the background and she absentmindedly hums along,
“She lies and says she’s in love with him, can’t find a better man...”
Unbuckling her seatbelt, she gets out of the car,
and walks toward the house, knowing exactly what lies beyond the door.
She turns the knob, takes a deep breath, and steps inside.
From red to orange, Autumn begins to wither at her edges,
thrown on the ground into the pile of frightened leaves,
she’s a tiny brown leaf crumpled up in someone’s hand,
Autumn is fading with every shallow breath.
She’s slowly breaking away from Fall,
Barely able to move, she waves goodbye, closes her eyes,
and Autumn leaves Fall.
