autumn

we all love

your russet smile,

though shiver

at the thought of you

as you arrive.

warm heart,

cold outside:

the warmth within

will not abide.

you, my dear,

must harvest life.

you cannot love,

you cannot sit

beside the happy

and the fortunate.

you must strip their pride,

expose the nerves of life.

only then

may life begin again

and winter arrive.