The last leaf of Autumn,
Left dangling alone,
All her colorful mates
Have fallen and lost their tone.
No leaf of her kinship,
No relationships near by,
To exhibit a likeness of color,
Or utter an Autumn sigh.
Nature will not leave you,
To languish on a branch,
Since all your mates are frolicking,
Go join the annual dance.
The groaning wind will scatter
All leaves to a secluded bed
Where former gems of the forest
Now lie withered and dead.
So, soon you may follow,
If Nature has its way,
And from the forest's inner circle,
You are not permitted to stay.
When you truly lie withered,
And newly created ones are known,
Oh! what Autumn leaf could dwell
In the dense forest alone?
Joseph T. Renaldi
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/last-leaf-of-autumn/
