Like walking through
A dense forest
In autumn ablaze
In the colors
Of the season
A sky afire
Mesmerized caught in
The equinoxes wildfire
Paratroopers begin to
Leap around me
Spinning like auburn
Lace handkerchiefs when
Suddenly one lands
Softly on my
Sleeve studying it
I see just
Where the sun
Kissed it and
In turn like
You kissed me
Many autumns ago
When I too
Fell like it
We are opposites
Younger and older
Black and white
Teacher and student
Student and teacher
But like the
Poles north and
South our world
Spins upon us
Have you noticed
That the biting
Rage of winters
Wind slapping you
Coldly in the
Face often stops
You dead in
Your tracks but
The wind behind
Resting its strong
Hand on your
Back pushes you
Forward this I
Think is how
Love shows up
I remember once
Sitting at a
Buffet hungry but
Not really sure
For what so
I sampled a
Bit of this
And some of
That and while
Full I wasn’t
Satisfied until I
Spied that one
Perfect steaming dish
And then just
As I reached
For it someone
Else took the
Last helping leaving
Me hungrier than
I ever was
Before sitting down
I sat patiently
Waiting and hoping
More would arrive
And yet you
You were gone
Why is it
That the one
Thing that you
Never asked happened
To be the
One thing the
Lynchpin holding everything
Else together snuggly
And then during
The rumble and
Rattle of us
It slipped out
On some dusty
Country road careening
You in one
Direction and me
In the other
Unable to find
That damned pin
We simply stare
At each other
Wondering how do
We ever get
Back to the
Place we were
HARLAN DIDRICKSON 