Impermanence, transformation,
seasonal change, goodbyes.
Call it by whatever name,
its bound to leave a crusty mark
on my reluctant spirit.
The time has come to end
my light-filled summertime
when I floated on emerald wings.
Now I stand here by the patio door
looking out at naked trees.
Overnight determined rain pressed
nearly every leaf to the ground.
Only a landscape of emptiness remains
where once there lived contented fullness.
I take a deep breath, give a sigh
of resignation, gather my precious
memories of those succulent months
while my mind takes one last grateful sip
of summer’s dewy dawns.
Now is the time to yield, to enter
the next turning, accept the stark contrast
of barrenness in place of fullness.
As I turn away from the emptied trees
I take my affluent basket of summer
with me, trusting it has stored
enough to see me through
until the time of melting snow.
~ Joyce Rupp, My Soul Feels Lean
