The first day of fall

Kamál (Perfection), 15 ‘Izzat (Might), 165 B.E. – Monday, September 22, 2008 about 6:05 PM Pacific Time

It's the first day of fall and leaves should be transforming from green to beautiful oranges, yellows and reds. They aren't because this is Las Vegas and we haven't had a freeze yet. I love the colors of autumn leaves. They remind me of my childhood and my grandparents' house in Blackwell, Oklahoma.

A cottonwood tree in the front yard of my grandparents' house, in the spring and summer it had beautiful shiny green leaves. In the autumn, right after the first freeze the leaves turned yellow and began to fall. Not all of the leaves fell some of them remained on the tree all winter. Those that remained were either brown or yellow. I remember in winter, when the wind blew those leaves would make noise. They rustled as the wind blew, this happened every year. Finally, in the spring when the new leaves were budding, the old ones would fall off.

Yellow cottonwood
leaves descend to the cold ground
scattered by the wind.

Grandfather raked them
into huge piles for burning
on a windless day.