Eulogy for Falling Leaves
Some die of natural causes
They drift to the ground and close their eyes
Leaving their perfectly unmarked bodies
scattered like the photographs of my ancestors
I collect the ones that look familiar
I write their obituaries and bury them in books
or lay them out on the kitchen table
like old lace doilies at an open casket wake
Soon they will fade and crumble to dust
Some are skeletons already
Some have been eaten like the red wool hat
that I left in my pantry all summer
Others I suspect have leapt to their death
the way people jump off the Brooklyn Bridge
They land like broken-hearted sunsets
that absent-minded people later walk on
The sassafras leaves look like ragged mittens
curled up from sitting at the woodstove too long
I match them in pairs and save them for winter
or remember them in a nursery rhyme
Soon there are leaves all over
Maple, poplar, dogwood and oak
Transforming into compost for future generations
in bonfire piles of light going out
________Colleen Redman, written around 2000 / Poets United /Imaginary Garden with Real Toads
October 9th, 2016 12:13 pm
Loved it. Leaves have a tender place in my heart as well
October 9th, 2016 12:15 pm
Lovely idea Colleen, lovingly rendered… My fave lines:
“They land like broken-hearted sunsets
that absent-minded people later walk on…”
With Best Wishes Scott
October 9th, 2016 12:31 pm
I like how you conjure an image, a story for each of the leaves, and maybe tell a totally different story for each of them… what a great idea for a poem
October 9th, 2016 1:04 pm
“They land like broken-hearted sunsets”. Wow, what a very cool image of leaves, departing. Wonderful imagery in this poem. Loved it!
October 9th, 2016 2:23 pm
everything and one who falls deserves our respect and remberance..powerfully written
October 9th, 2016 5:37 pm
Such lovely and poignant images here in your poem, Colleen❤️ I especially love “The sassafras leaves look like ragged mittens curled up from sitting at the wood-stove too long. I match them in pairs and save them for winter or remember them in a nursery rhyme.” Sigh..❤️ Beautifully executed.
Lots of love,
Sanaa
October 9th, 2016 5:45 pm
Brilliant really. I see not only the life and death of leaves in this poem, but think it applies to we humans as well. Poignant.
October 9th, 2016 10:04 pm
perfectly unmarked bodies
scattered like the photographs of my ancestors
…wow!!
October 9th, 2016 10:11 pm
Thank you for this journey of spirit(s). Fall comes, then goes. Yet, proliferates endless emotions. Love, life and death and everything in between.
October 11th, 2016 6:32 am
Lovely; an enthralling read.
October 11th, 2016 11:12 am
A beautiful celebration of nature and all the leaves that have witnessed of life — as the seasonal cycle returns them to earth, transforming them. Tender & lovely — thank you for sharing.
October 11th, 2016 1:53 pm
First-rate work!!! “They land like broken-hearted sunsets” is one of those WOW lines that makes me tingle all over. And you’re responsible!
October 11th, 2016 4:30 pm
This has to be one of my favourite of your poems. I love the detail with which you have described the leaves.
October 12th, 2016 8:18 am
Beautifully written! This is a lovely time of year until the beauty is all underfoot for absent-minded people to walk on. I love the image of the red wool hat in the pantry. The poem speaks to me in double/triple meaning.
October 12th, 2016 8:14 pm
[…] 10. Soon they will fade and crumble to dust / Some are skeletons already / Some have been eaten like the red wool hat / that I left in my pantry all summer / Others I suspect have leapt to their death / the way people jump off the Brooklyn Bridge / They land like broken-hearted sunsets / that absent-minded people later walk on … – From a poem I wrote in the late ‘90s called Eulogy for Fallen Leaves, posted HERE. […]
October 13th, 2016 2:51 pm
this whole poem is just exceptional. love all the symbolism and comparison of leaves…especially the one to mittens.