autumn, temporarily

it doesn't seem like autumn yet.

the birds sing cheerful songs.

they're all around me in the breeze

that carries them along.

water's flowing somewhere near,

but the air is dry;

the leaves are green, the sky is blue,

the wind is blowing high.

yet in the air there is a note

of sadness, and the sense

that all this life is hiding death,

and soon it will relent.