Member-only story
POETRY
Flock
There comes a day where the wind picks up
and the leaves give up
letting go of their brittle hold on the branches
after a splendid season they are ready to go forth,
having lit the sky with a billion tongues of fire,
one last wild ride on December’s breath
to pave the ground with a carpet of gold
They gather like piles of rose petals in pools
a wonder of sidewalk wanderings
a remarkable fufillment of their journey
from earth and water to bud and leaf
then back to become earth again
Shepherds armed with rakes, bags, and blowers
will arrive in due time
heralds of a tidiness that can’t possibly last
Once, I saw them scooped and loaded into trucks
to be driven goodness knows where
for some practical purpose
I watched them bounce and fly, laughing,
out of the open truck bed
as it rumbled down the street
choosing their own destiny
beyond the works of men
flinging themselves with conviction
away from the…
