October!

October!
Fair month of a thousand scents and memories,
Laden with the weight of a night that presses in
             pressed down and squeezes the daylight
                                      into less
                                              and less.
Then warms the days and frosts the nights,
   turning leaves to transient jewels:
       marveled masterpieces of ruby, amber, opal, topaz;
Chill that crisps the air and makes it catch upon the breath,
    that holds the breath as a gossamer phantom before it slowly flies away;
Crunch under foot of a thousand leaves that finished their journey
    from sap of Spring to fragments of Fall.
   
Oh October! 
Hale breath of cooling answering to the smokey, dusty voice of Summer,
Heavy with the promise of moisture,
     renewing rain and moody mists.
Anticipation runs high upon news of your arrival.
Come now and shower us with Autumn's blessings.

D. Benning, (c) 2015

Glade Creek Grist Mill, Babcock State Park, West Virginia