In the Autumn Darkness (copyright Kerri-Ellen Kelly)

In the Autumn Darkness

In winter world of cold and wind
The mind can live alone
Caged and hidden by the storms
I loneliness condone
In winter landscape if desired
My soul its essence knows
Untouched, unscathed, and left to be
The face its mirror shows

In summer space of heat and sun
My heart the soul enflames
Inspired by those passions true
Of ever changing names
Although my soul when nova drawn
Is blinded by the light
The heart will have a heyday then
To strengthen for the night

In springtime green life blooms anew
And in life I see power
The heart will thaw, the soul will draw
A partnership will flower
And hand-in-hand my heart and soul
Will move through land and sky
Exploring life and love to learn
Of cosmic where and why

But in the autumn darkness falls
And sleep and sorrow bind
The heart entrapped within itself
The caged and frantic mind
And soon the numbing cold sets in
Through mental cracks it seeps
And though ye mourn for could-have-been
Both soul and heart still sleep

And through your life the cycle spins
Through man's repeating years
In seasons bright and dim alike
Through hopes and endless fears
In comedy and tragedy
In pain and joy enduring
From peak to pit and back again
O'er endless years recurring