here is a leaf:

end of autumn, in all its forms

maroon, and mottled.

stem worn thin.

beyond congealed.

         it rattles dry

         and stiff.

 

its photoplastic altitude;

its pellicle, and brume

have burned their steam.

         or stormed out

         into wind-knows-where

 

and isn’t it just so...

a little piece

falls in the sock:

         You turn It inside out

         then shake

Reviews

[M@]

Awesome work. Really enjoying it.

Thank you

[BonnyRivers]

Beautiful, reminiscent of Plath 'But let spotted leaves fall as they fall, without ceremony, or portent'. Perfect for this time of year. I see the leaves begin to fall outside my window as I type. Gifted!

[charlie]

Hi Bonny. Thanks for dropping by.

[Jimmy Yetts]

Well captures the end of my favorite season.
Smartly penned!

[Annette Pisano-Higley]

A life “worn thin”...a vestige of what once was...and yet- surely still worthy? Beautiful and poignant metaphor in the form of an aged and discarded leaf. Does age make us useless, invisible, dispensible, nuisance? Eloquent descriptive language in stark lines, stark thoughts. “And isn’t it just so...” - yes, sadly, in this world, it is. Or is this simply about- an autumn leaf falling?.... Important and profoundly moving write.

[charlie]

Ilike to think that in old(er) age we are more 'nuance' than 'nuisance', but I suppose it makes no difference to the ultimate and final act. :) Thank you for your thoughts, Annete. Appreciated.

[Kelly Scheppers]

It's difficult to take a walk and resist the urge of picking up the sorted shapes and color variations of the leaves that have fallen. I take photos of my excursions and love to assemble the contrast of nature in her most bountiful array of beauty. I really loved your second stanza, Charlie. The thin skin of a leaf with its vein-like designs have such lofty height in the wind, considering how diaphanous in appearance they are. Wonderful to meet you, Charlie. Thank you for sharing this!

[charlie]

I think it's nice to meet you, too, Kelly. Diaphanous included :) Thanks for taking time.

[Mari' Emeraude]

This was just adorable! Sometimes they really do end up in our socks. What a whimsical way to breathe life into this old leaf!

[charlie]

Yeah. :) Thanks for reading, Mari

[redzone]

beautifully written Charlie, and that last verse... "you turn it inside out", perhaps you talk of leaves, but it also feels like losing someone you love or have loved... I know this "then shake" feeling all too well...

[charlie]

The 'shake' feeling will get us all in the end, red.
I appreciate your visit here.

[The Twin Arenas]

Worthy of a write, always. "Wind-knows-where" is delightful. You make that up?
Always has fascinated me how leaves are at their most beautiful right before they jump onto the sidewalk.

[charlie]

Yeah, that's prob'ly my favourite line. It was a breeze to write.

[Dave Brown]

of all I read here (this site and elsewhere I suppose) I find your work (?) to be the most interesting, problem is, I feel that I am supposed to understand the deeper meaning behind the words, which I don't seem to be capable of doing, so that I feel a bit guilty about enjoying the color of the package without really knowing where the colors came from
But I do like the colors

[charlie]

Argh! That happens to me sometimes, too. I've read a lot of poetry that is affecting, but I don't know what it means! (then there's a lot of published poetry that just seem obscure riddles wasting ones time - and I was never good at puzzles). I appreciate your saying so, Dave Brown. Sometimes I find it helpful (and challenging when online) to read a poem slowly; punctuation and all. For what it's worth, this poem is about the temporal nature of life, old age, and considers the idea that we could be but a little piece of life who have 'fallen' into this sock (of a body) until time, or death, or God, turns us inside out (through our having lived) and removes us from where we are. I've also dabble again with homonyms, (like 'piece' as an allusion to 'peace', etc) Lol...now I feel clumsy. Albeit, I very much appreciate your thoughtfulness, Dave. Regards.