Leaves

Andres Salazar

Shivering morning

Trees stripping off their foliage

Foggy mist, the fresh smell of dirt;

Above my head, a crow, perched on a willow bough

Silent sage of black plumage

Down, a myriad of colors, a vast bed of leaves

A chimera of something that once lived

Further ahead the cedar bridge, the winding path

Both covered with gold

Walking with me the swollen creek

Roaring, enraged by the night rain

Murky waters, froth, debris,

Swirling leaves not wanting to drift

To my left the silent houses, barely lit

Lifeless and phantasmagoric

On the roofs more dead leaves

Scattered, lying hopeless

Waiting to be whipped by the rain

Suddenly, a fallen tree, a detour, a deer

I am kissed by the sun.