See October

Tonight they sway gently in brisk, alive air

On warm horseback over crackling trails

And I silently pray that they see

Every last copper leaf warmed by the blazing sun sinking

Every grand silhouetted oak and red maple

Paired in design with a sapphire sky

Each sweet yellow tree-tear slipping and floating 

Through the day's last rays

Crimson mums and cornstalks bunched by the speckled stone doorway

Far-away flickering flocks of blackbirds playing

The coal black cat slinking under the white rail fences

Lining silent pastures green and golden

Where the halflinger ponies' blond manes rustle

And they lift a curious muzzle to the breeze

Regal and peaceful

I know they will always hear October

They will feel that brisk, alive air

And listen to the geese rising and calling

Maybe they will still feel warm horseback

And cherish crackling leaves

And it will bring them as much joy as ever

But I pray that they can store away 

Some of this fading evening's colors

And maybe one day when color's memory

Is shadowed half-truth, an un-sugared pie

They will catch the scent of leaf under foot

And they will again see October