Autumn Lent Day 38

Seed pods drip onto hardened land

The fruits of summer stuck in thirsty sand. 

The grasses ripen from emerald to gold

As the veld thickens in apprehension of cold. 

Migrating birds have long left telephone wires

Departure means they miss the ice and runaway fires. 

Odd bursts of blossom speak of colonial powers 

The arrival of outsiders documented in cosmos flowers. 

Sleek coats fluff up and heffers thrive

The last moments of calfhood before winter arrives. 

The natural world so intuitive and old

Knows that seasons must change long before we are told. 

We lock things in calendars, months and plans

When the truth of time is found in our lands. 

A farewell to summer - life abundantly free -

The death of what was, in anticipation for what will be.