A Fall ‘Made-in-China’

Last October I was walking all over It...

Now the leaves come stiff 

cut out of nylon rolls

glued to plastic branches 

and spray-painted desperately to sing

These leaves don’t carry summer's kiss

or bear the caress of spring 

they are manufactured to perfection 

to sit up and not crumble 

to please Insta-people's needs

When my eager hands pick them up

from shelves disguised 

to feel like a walk in the woods 

I weave dreams of my own

And I rely on the memories of 
a wide sweep of a window 

sitting in front of which 

I had once known Fall 

in its manic hues —

the feisty reds

the impatient Bronzes 

the unhurried greens 

the unfettered tangerines...

And therefore I indulge

my stubborn heart 

that doesn’t quite give up 

and would rather have 

a synthetic Fall  

For a token Fall 

after al 
is still better 
than no Fall at all :)

Reign of Love

Lashing against the earth

Like a release of pent-up anger 

It turns into breathless kisses 

When it hits my lanai 

Like a reckless Romeo 

Its arrows wreak havoc on my plants,

From a corner I sit and watch 

This robust love of youth 

It soaks up my faux green grass 

And my delicate pinwheel trembles in fear, 

But what does the summer rain care,

For so selfish it is in its affair!