Autumn #1

A Poem

Autumn #1
By Patrick Donohue

Oh, but what does it mean,
Exactly,
To fall

In love,
In line,
Or backward into the arms of god?

To fall
Down seven
But to stand up eight?

Even I’ve been known to fall
Victim,
Asleep,

Ill,
Behind,
And down rabbit holes.

Like Alice plummeting
Toward depths unknown,
Echoes of an older me
Ping-pong to Wonderland.

Fall
Falling
Fallen

I can only hope to hear
The soft crunch of leaves
When I finally hit the ground.