Flavor of Autumns Past

Pungent scent of oak, pine, and maple trees

Penetrating the autumn air.

Remembering also the birches, cedars, and elms

Adding their aromatic flair.

Clasping to the limbs are leaves of deep and changing

Colors; apple red and tangerine orange,

And bright splashes of dark lime and lemon yellow grandeur.

Sweet memories of walking, strolling, and

Wading through clusters, piles, and layers of fallen leaves.

Autumn is harvest time as the last

Of the vegetables and fruits are plucked smelling fresh and sweet.

Pumpkin, squash, and ripened tomatoes

Are reaped from the gardens while the clinging apples

Are pulled from the orchard trees:

Granny Smiths, braeburns, bright red delicious, and

The yellow delicious apples too.

The last of the corn, the wheat, soybeans, and hay

Are reaped without further delay.

Then all enjoy the harvest and a feast on Thanksgiving Day.

Enjoying the warm winds from the south

And the west; a strong and yet gentle, tantalizing breeze

Before the colder north and eastern gales

Rush on in and strip the swaying trees until they’re bare.

For by then autumn is gone and winter

Has rushed in with its snow, layers of ice, and frigid cold

As temperatures drop to zero and below.

Amid the snow and that freezing cold, we take the time

To celebrate Christmas, favorite holiday of old.

Then to restore hope of warmer days to come, a hint of

Spring is in the air as the snow melts

And the ground is bare. Also soon, the snow turns to rain

And the world becomes green again.

Summer then arrives for all those young at heart who like

To camp, hike, swim, and dive.

Such enjoyment of long days, abundant sunshine, and

Celebration of Independence Day.

Like the musical beat of a favorite song or poem which

Entails its own melodious rhyme,

Each season with its own scents and flavors enters in its own

Predictable and expected time. As

After autumn, winter arrives, and then comes spring

Followed by summer and then autumn

Returns again with its own aroma and charming flavor

 like an enchanting and familiar friend.