I watched it, sadly, with a deep yearning in my heart, for what this one fluttering leaf had. It dipped and weaved, twirled and spun; in what seemed to be joy and happiness. This small thing, golden and speckled red, danced gaily as the wind swept it away, and as it shrank into oblivion, and I felt the sting of tears to come.

A sigh. How I wish to be like that minuscule leaf. To share in its transient spectacle of true and utter freedom. To have no worries or fears, feel no pain or sorrow, only the grand ecstasy of simple existence. Where will I be? Well, where ever the wind takes me! What will I do? Who cares! Certainly not I, I'll partake not in any of the cares of this world. I will dance with the wind, enjoy the warm light of the sun, and the cool illumination of the moon and stars. I listen to the musical conversation of the creatures that will not bother, nor be bothered by, a simple thing; one that poses no threat and is only there. May I be trodden under foot, perhaps consumed by a hungry insect? So what? "The End" only.

Deep breath. An inhale of the glorious wind that could take me anywhere. No, everywhere! Around the globe, to the many neglected corners and abandoned alleys and grand expansions of nothing that this world is. If only I were a leaf in the wind. If only I were free, free from the fear of the future, free from the worry of the present, free from shadows of my past. Free from what it is to be human. Yes--I think, as more leaves blow away in the wind, waving a jerky fare-thee-well--if only I were a leaf in the wind.