Lifeless Leaves

“Lifeless Leaves” 

How I long for the days when my mother held me so tight; 
Not a wind nor a storm could take me away from her height. 
Her thick arms extending wide; 
To hold my brothers and I by her side. 
Her figure so strong and tall, I though noting could break us. 
Not even a fall. 
But to our surprise, we were all wronged. 
As the days grew shorter and the nights grew colder, my mother grew tired and weak. 
Her bones grew fragile, and she could not speak. 
When she worked up the courage, she said to us this: 
“My children, it has been bliss.” 
In disbelief we sighed. 
The one who made sure we were healthy and green, had tipped the scale. 
We were now crumbling, yellow and pale. 
Slowly, one by one, we descended to my mother’s feet. 
And with every detachment, she would quietly weep. 
We now watch over her, although most of us have floated away. 
Being crushed by little steps on what the “humans” call “lovely autumn days.”