every leaf

As every leaf 

turns from green to gold

falls to earth brown, 

and into earth folds,

so too do we

straighten out tall

before we curl

old back !1+++

to dust and ash.

This is fact, 

so why then do we fear? 

Each day we live,

the end we near.

Then again, even leaves 

tremble before they fall. 

Perhaps they are waving,

a fond farewell

to branches that held them up

or winking at the bluebell,

a contract between them, 

to use them to line her nest.

After all, they can take pride,

that in their green days,

they nourished tiny creatures

in myriad ways,

like those brilliant- hued butterflies 

that flit now from flower to flower. 

Now their day is done.

They seek the earth, 

calming any tiny flutter, 

trusting, that in this birth

as in the next,

each leaf would have left its imprint.

So too can we 

calm our beating heart

such that we meet the end 

with a wave and wink 

when we depart.