A Look at the Slowly Dying

Scarlet leaves,
Burnt edges--
Red rimmed eyes
that have been
rubbed too hard
at the tantalizing draw of sleep.

Hollow noises,
Whispering winds--
abandoned branches,
swaying and scratching;
a raspy voice,
raw from lack of rest.

A tired world,
Trudging on--
dragging late into the night;
A stubborn child
inevitably fading
from exhaustion.

The young, weary world is laid to rest by the passing days.

              --Mickayla Clune fieldnotes 15 Oct. 2014

Field notes 15 Oct. 2014

Welcome to fall, the season of shortening days, warm drinks, sweaters, football, falling leaves and death.

Yes, death.

At least, the way I see it. Traditionally, fall was celebrated for the biggest crop harvest of the year, but in some ways dreaded because it signaled the end of growing season. The cold sets in and the crops die. In those days, if not enough food was preserved in the summer or not enough food is harvested, it could mean a hungry winter, leading to starvation (that means death). And as we're all pushed inside, in close quarters, sickness follows as we enter cold and flu season. This includes the flu that can kill the young, the elderly, the feeble, and countless of them. The times were dark, damp and cold once fall hit and it became a hell to survive rather than a season to enjoy.

Okay, so maybe that isn't the biggest of our worries from year to year as the smell of pumpkin spice fills the air and we ready our costumes for candy collection. In fact, the most death we see is probably on the Walking Dead. Still, I see the world dying, even as the leaves change.

As the days shorten, the leaves see less and less sun. This allows chlorophyll. the chemical responsible for photosynthesis in plants to die, ending the production of green pigmentation, allowing new and pretty hues to become present, but essentially killing the leaf (Helmenstine). It's like nature's own graveyard is at our feet, and for some reason, we enjoy it. Maybe I'm being morbid, but it can't be denied, we're surrounded by death--in nature, in innocence, reported in the media, around the world. It's there. Why we choose not to think about this is really just a matter of perspective; it we don't see the death, we can forget it's happening... but should we?

Let's take this fall, and not only drink lattes, carve pumpkins and dig out sweaters buried in our drawers, but also take a look at the world, the community, our own backyard and acknowledge the death. Take it in and except it. Then maybe, just maybe, we can live in a way to make up for the death and richly balance the world.

Work Cited

Helmenstine, Anne Marie. "Why do Leaves Change Color in the Fall?" About Education. N.p. n.d. Web. 19 Oct. 2014