Chameleon Leaves

A bright yellow sun

Shines light on earth

The leaves glow harlequin and Kelly green,

Olive, Lime and Forest Green

So clean and sparkly

Polished and clean.

The seasons change and soon

The skies are paler blue

A little less sunshine

Coming through.

The leaves desert their lofty home

And lie in splendour

Bronzed and gold

The people “Ooh” and “Aah” again

As sparkling rust and orange red

Those same green leaves

lie changed

transformed

Persimmon

Pumpkin and Venetian red.

But very soon the skies are grey.

Our chameleon trades his hues

For amber, corn and school-bus-yellow

Chartreuse and poppy golden ochre copper

But come the rains and hail and snow

Those very stars of earth’s great show

Begin to fade

And bleach

And tear

Until you look

And nothing’s there.

And so the pattern continues on

From green to gold

To yellow and

Gone.

Winter 2008 * Rose Kelland