An Autumn Song

The leaves have turned to flame and gold, They whisper songs of autumn told, Where golden fields on harvest days, Speak sweet of summer’s fleeting ways.

In amber hues, the sun dips low, Painting the world in a fiery glow, And the crisp air sings a gentle hymn, As shadows stretch, the light grows dim.

There’s a beauty in decay, they say, For life renews in its own way, In dancing leaves and scattered seeds, Nature’s cycle fulfills all needs.

• Robert Penn Warren