autumn magic -
there's something in the breath of fall, so dear
that churns the deepest province of my soul
once rooted in the start of each school year
mixed with that earthy crispness of the cold
the thrills of sports and studies, ivy-bound
esteemed traditions held amidst the eaves
more precious, still, that kindred heart I found
through crazy, callow love among the leaves
oh, how we drowned so eagerly each time
we swam that leafy ocean ‘neath the trees
yet, now it’s only mem’ries put to rhyme
though, still, these weary eyes can clearly see ...
there - deep within the fading autumn's mist …
a shadow of the sweetheart I once kissed.
Copyright © Gregory Richard Barden, October 3, 2019 (rewrite 10/1/21); *original version featured in the anthology “154 By 16 Poets” by Craig Cornish
~ 1st Place ~ in the "Autumn Sonnet" Poetry Contest, John Hamilton, Judge & Sponsor.
~ 2nd Place ~ in the "Strand Choice J, Any Form, Any Theme" Poetry Contest, Brian Strand, Judge & Sponsor.
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