Leaf Life

In the beginning, a tiny bud
only a bump on a branch,
my friends and I.

Soon became full-blown leaves
providing shading shadows
on hot days to a nearby home.

In fall, our foliage morfed
to brilliant reds and yellows—
my friends floated to the earth.

I clung to the branch
until, I too, joined the others,
no longer able to clap praise to our Creator.

We lay listless until strong winds
scattered us in scurrying swirls.
Then we were raked into orderly piles,
sucked into a dark tube,
mangled into mulch
to grace next year’s garden
with ferocious fruitfulness.