AS AUTUMN TURNS TO WINTER

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.” - Anne Bradstreet

The day was gray and moist, cool and wintry today. The last few days of May will yield to June the sceptre of the changing seasons, and Winter will officially arrive dressed in his furs and woollens. I walked a little in the park this afternoon and before I returned home, it started drizzling. The sky was dark and the trees bare, the leaves on the ground a thick, crackly carpet. My nose was cold and I hurried to get home. The lights were on, the sight a welcoming one. The heater would be already be on and soon a hot dinner on the table! How lucky I am!

As Autumn Turns to Winter

Swirling brightly, falling, twisting,
The leaves dance gracefully
As the wind blows and the twigs shiver.

Chirping mournfully, fluffing feathers,
The birds cluster on the fence posts
As the raindrops start to fall.

Clouds rolling, massing gray and moist;
No trace of blue, the sun has disappeared,
As dun, woollen blankets hide the sky.

Moving gently, lonely playground swing creaks
In the deserted parklands of ashen afternoon,
As I brave the cold and rain, walking alone.

Mushrooms sprouting, pumpkins ripening;
Flowers fade, summer a distant memory
As garden settles into a dying pose.

The lights shining through welcoming window,
The house warm and a hot dinner smelling savoury,
As autumn turns to winter.