Autumn Splendor If death be like autumn Then oh, Lord, let me die In such a glorious sun Without as much as a sigh! For my eyes have seen Leaves of such beauty And a blue sky so serene As to fill the birds with ecstasy! If only my soul could fly Like the cheeky chicadees Which with each other vie For the choicest seeds and berries. Of such simple things Is paradise surely made And such joys nature brings That last and do not fade. The morning breeze Over soft grass blows And it is with ease That the river flows. The salmon to its death In waters life-foaming Rushes of time bereft For its ritual mating. Autumn brings to the eyes A vision of the sublime. Every living thing that dies Is but a moment in Time. Soon the leaves will fall And snow too. But I'll remember this fall With bliss great and true. It is when life ebbs away That it is at its sweetest. It is when we pray That we pass the final test. In autumn's bosom I've sought and found Life's true rhythm And death's pleasing sound! Claudio Wye October 98
