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There is surprise I suppose,

As one sits, satisfied, in the woods

And feels Fall surround you

With color and warm moments in a 

Sun-soaked morning.

Surprise for the deer hunter 

Or the startled bird watcher 

Who thought they had achieved 

A moment of high tranquility,

Peace,

Satisfaction, and 

Wholeness with the Earth.

But then a tree lets go of its leaves, 

And the stillness is shattered.

If you were quiet,

And if the wind was low,

You heard the sound behind you.

A single snap, and then another,

Until a shower of golden 

Fineness comes fluttering down

To rest on the forest floor 

To leave the tree standing naked

And alone for Winter,

Until Spring. 

L. Powell, for Laura, 11/13/2016