A Familiar Tale Reworked

The cold temps and dusting of snow remind me that it really is November here in the north country. I've become accustomed to the warm, lingering falls of late, and shouldn't be surprised by the need for winter coats and gloves, already.

Most of the trees around here have lost their leaves, but some hardwoods cling to foliage that dulls and becomes brittle as time advances. Eventually, even they relinquish any pretense of grandeur.



A Familiar Tale Reworked


The cottonwood stands stripped
of leaves except at its crown
where a dusty few continue to flutter.

Indian summer days downplay
coming changes as the tree holds
tightly to faded former glory.

Tall and regal, and like the emperor
with no clothes, naked,
sporting a diadem grown dim, slipping
one leaf at a time.



Marilyn Aschoff Mellor