I smile up

At the vibrant trees

And it seems like

They're smiling back at me

The wind flits about

And teases my hair

I'm so happy

I leave behind my cares

I close my eyes

So I can hear

Those autumn sounds

Because autumn is finally here

I feel something

Brush my head

I open my eyes

And amongst the orange and reds

A yellow leaf like the sun

Shines bright

And smiles up at me

With its vibrant light

And even though

Autumn has just begun today

I know I'll be sad

When the autumn leaves go away

And winter comes and autumn leaves

My birthday used to be in spring,

But now it is in fall.

The allergies it used to bring

I do not miss at all.

But it was nice to see new lambs

Arrive on my birthday.

And all the spring-life diagrams

And flowers on display.

The memories of years gone by

Aren't gone; because I caught 'em.

And all in all, although I sigh,

I think I prefer autumn.

Leaves baked to a crisp

like pumpkin pie crust

go crunch crunch

beneath your feet,

happily they let go

falling down

to litter the

sleeping street.

Fall, fall,

drop down them all

flitter to the ground

until in leaves

I am drowned.

Shiver against

the chilling breeze

it nips my nose

and makes me sneeze

ah- ah- achoo

Puffs of breath

hang in the air

a baby ghost

waiting for a scare.

All in all,

I love the fall

The clouded sky

and playful breeze

leaves that fly

dancing trees;

look up and see

the waning sun

for he brings out

never-ending fun. :)

Two minutes to six and I can't ignore the heavy drops of rain tapping my car like a full set of fingers on a keyboard or God beating out a tune in a rhythm I'd have to be God to understand. These are taps I find more distracting then the velvet snores of my wife two minutes to midnight. This morning I am sleepless in Stafford. Last night I was sleepless, too, maybe because grading and lesson planning has me taking caffeine pills at 7 pm. Or maybe it's an anxiety leftover from Hurricane Harvey. We all seem to be shivering these days at every storm-sign. Fall's coming. Fall's here? Difficult to tell away from the screen of my phone and the expedited flings of a google search (Google: the best way to bing). Nor can I look to the skies or stars. Man peers down at the glowing milk of phones while the Milky Way hides behind fog and musk and must and smog. Houston doesn't do Fall right. We don't have the crooning red leaves swirling in ancient tempos or the yellow-orange bracken littering the floor like tossed invitations to some garbageborn small town venue. Houston is slimy year-round, the glitter dulled by knees of moss and Jurassic greens. Maybe the sunsets are a little more red when you're stuck in traffic, but how do you find the beauty when avoiding the Wheels and Winds and Waters? Now Houston rain isn't fingers—it's gray cement pouring against windshields. You can never really escape it, nor the feeling you're slowly falling out of love.

Crisp apple breeze

In a pumpkin spice sun

Gold medal leaves

Sparkle through rust

The first of the freeze

Brown on the mums

Now naked trees

Bare branches above

Red sunsets tease

Before the grey comes

The dropping degrees

Starting to numb

The ground and the bees

Silence the hum

As the earth goes to sleep

For the cold winter months

Fall arrives slowly, uncertainly.

She tentatively moves closer,

Reaching for summer's green leaves,

Enveloping herself in the last of summer's warmth.

Summer turns to Fall with joy,

"Fall! You're here! Finally!"

They stand together, watching over the world.

But only for a moment.

Summer is weary, she is at last relieved.

"Are you ready?" She asks Fall.

But it is too late.

Summer is fading, and Fall grows stronger.

In a moment she stands alone, afraid.

Summer's vibrant green world reminds her of her duty.

She, with renewed strength,

Reaches towards those happy greens.

Fall's power glows, as the land is transformed.

Green is replaced by yellow, and orange, and red.

A crisp breeze blows,

The leaves swirl through the air.

Yet Fall's time is fleeting,

So short, yet so beloved.

For as her glorious colorful leaves fall,

She sees Winter approaching from the distance.

Fall turns back to her leaves and smiles.

Leaves--brown, gold, pink, red, orange, and yellow--blending together to form the richest carpet for the forest floor that smells of earth and sky. Trees are aflame with them and it is so hard to realize that the leaves are dying. Dropping one...by...one to the ground below, where eventually they will rot away, enriching the soil so new plants can grow come spring.

There is beauty even in death.

#fall

#leaves

#challenge

#death

#beauty

That autumn taught me to gather

the godforsaken heterosexuality

out of myself

pour it right down the drain

flip the switch

watch the metal teeth

crunch bits of me up

and choke them down

That autumn taught me to scrub

my skin

clean

pink and new

squeeze the words and water

out of my hair

and wrap myself up in the cloth

of self love

That autumn taught me to let

those golden words out

drip them off of my tongue

slow and sweet

and hang them out to dry

I'm gay