Autumn’s chill bites the dying breeze of summer
No longer the relaxing wallow of moored watercraft
or children’s laughter ringing out in the bay
No longer minnows and sturgeon,
rainbow fish and trout
No lunchtime bells, fireworks, or leisurely walks to the store

Prithee, Apollo; forestall your shortened days
Allow the children to splash and sing a while longer
Slow the stream of your golden chariot
across the azure sky
Don’t weaken the sun and allow winter’s grin just yet
Preserve the collected memory of green grass
and blooming flowers, canoe rides in the
dawn with fog blowing over,
sundown on the shimmering lake
and evening borealis

Chinese lanterns floating in the still water as we sit
and gaze at the stars above on rooftops, garages,
and any other place in the freedom
and warmth of youth soon to be
stripped bare as the trees