A green flutter of rain cascades to the ground
As the breeze wakes the trees from their restless slumber
Angry creaks shatter the silence
As the towering trees are reluctantly bent
From how they once stood
My eyes are drawn to the fringes of yellow and orange
Lining the edges of the bulbous collection of leaves
On top of every standing tree
As time dyes them bloody red
Staining the woods crimson
But now is the time
When green and crimson are the same
Neither the dominant
And neither is to go unnoticed
For both have flourished in their own season
And neither is eager to fall helpless to the other
But it is a battle I have seen for countless years
As red succeeds in splashing over green in a roiling sheet of color
I step out of the whirlwind of color
Startled as my eyes try to adjust to the dullness of the world
Grays and browns seep into my eyes
Leaching away the beauty they once beheld
But as I continue
I realize
The woods are not the only source of beauty
I watch the water gentle caress the rocks
As it flows through
Trying desperately trying to find a place of comfort
Before it is once again swept away
The clouds tumbling over one another
In an endless race to reach a point
Unseen by those who don’t know it
And the flowers decorating the stumps
Where their friends once stood
Suddenly I wonder if it really is a battle raging in the woods
Or is it only a misunderstood friendship
Labeled by my ignorance
The ghost of a smile touches my lips
As I comprehend
I will never know
As I walk through the woods
I will never know
I can beg I can plead
But no secrets will escape the ones who have held them for years