Season Change

I hardly realized that it was summer,
And now I see a few leaves fluttering down.
Asters and wild sunflowers line the roadways,
On milkweed leaves there lies a tinge of brown.

With soothing voice the wind of near-fall whispers,
“Don’t dread it. Oh, no! Greet it; it’s to love,
For golden days and flaming foliage follow
And glittering frosty morns and harvest moon above.

But spring came in so very slowly this year,
And summer was a dearly longed-for span.
It seems only yesterday we heard first frog songs.
And swimming suits and picnics filled our plan.

Embrace the days while green trees like bowers surround us,
And dragonflies sail shimmering o’er the stream.
Savor the morning freshness; cherish the evening,
The shadowy twilight followed by the stars’ bright gleam.

The lesson of late summer is upon us;
Aside from beauty that it has to give,
Gently announcing the season’s coming exit
Reminds us of this, “While we’re living—live.”