A Friday Benediction

Falltime #1

May you rise today with a tender heart, a soft heart,
With rhythmic beating free from shackles and shields.
Unencumbered is the word.

Early morning air that nips back and icy dew
Soon gives way to bright noon sun. A reminder
Of daily transformation. Hourly. Minutely. Secondly.

The down, the fibers. The sheets, the blankets.
A lifetime of hibernation in one night.
Leaving is oh so hard to do.

The season’s flavors, steeped in memory, cloak us in
Warmth from skin to marrow and back again.
Nutty fragrance. Steam wafting off the first cup of coffee.

With the going of summer and coming of winter
The leaves turn. Hues of glory explode before dying away.
Should we all be so lucky.

Hope is but believing that this day could be different.

This day is new.