Standing alone in the graveyard

On a beautiful autumn day,

Looking at trees and waiting

For a leaf to be blown my way.

.

A minute ago they were falling,

Red and gold leaves all around.

Now they are stubbornly either

‘In situ’ or down on the ground.

.

Waiting and waiting and waiting.

Give me a little breeze!

I’m not leaving here till I’ve caught one,

A gift from these beautiful trees.

.

But it’s still now, completely, and silent,

Except for the calls of the crows.

How long can I stand and be patient

In the face of this impasse – who knows?

.

Well, the wind will not yield to my summons,

And the trees seem against me, somehow.

So I stride to the nearest offender,

And pick a nice leaf from its bough.

.

Maybe herein lies a lesson;

Don’t wait for what fate might bestow.

Grasp what you want without qualm,

For the winds of fair chance may not blow.

.

Croydon Cemetery

18 November 2014