I AM

In transition, I am;
Caught between youth and
age like an autumn leaf
that clings to its branch

while a changing wind
twists it round
and ‘round
and around.
I spent my springtime
unfurling,
The summer expanding,
and now that summer’s nearly spent,
alas, I thirst for more.
I’m not ready for the fall at all.
I’d rather postpone it,
oppose it---the drying, curling,
glorious coloring into autumn
that precedes the chilling
slumber of winter’s call.
I only know before ---
Not what after will become.

Julie Williams July 2009