As I walked through an autumn’s lowering sunset
Stepping lightly through carpets of leaves
I passed by a half finished gossamer web
As a spider’s intricate laced home it weaves
The uneven blanket of leaves lightly quivers
A yearly countryside coloured cascade
Divergent scenes appearing before me
As earth’s seasonal changes are made
As leaves shimmer from cautious footsteps
I disturb snails slowly nibbling at one
In their shade of the day’s deepening shadows
Away from the heat of a slow sleepening sun
Chirping birds hastily pecking at leaves
Spreading their colourful autumnal sheath
Searching for tiny invisible insects
Hiding cool,in the damp earth beneath
Disturbing this cooling autumn blanket
Where coloured leaves above me once hung
Bustling birds seeking a last evening meal
Taking home a final feed for their young
The last flight from the hive has now ended
All the bees settled in for the night
The nocturnals are slowly awaking
As swarms of bats prepare muted flight
A crisp eventide mist now descending
As cool zephyrs of damp fill the air
Leaving now is the sun of my daytime
As night creatures are leaving their lair
Orange hues lazily,finally crossing my sky
Creating silhouettes from bare ragged trees
Before me a final shaft of gold appears
As the thin rim of sun,lazily flees
Above me the stars start to twinkle
As dusk gathers speed towards night
Birds are all safely home at their rest
As muffled darkness swallows daylight
Lights in homesteads appearing before me
As folks say goodbye to their day
Putting to sleep all their problems
Awaiting a new sun’s welcoming ray
As I walked through my shortening sunset
Others are watching the birth of daylight
Half a world away,an awakening day
As my Earth carries on through its flight
With regards from
Mick Scarles (SW19expat)
