a reflection mirrored
in a brass doorknob
yet unturned
wishing it could walk through
its gaze of sadness

last rings of autumn leaves
clinging to its branches
amidst the sound
of loosened ones
scraping along gravel

dwindling schools
of Pacific salmon
battling for life
stuck inside
the river dam's conveyor belt
struggling to reach its sanctuary
on the other side

a poetess
in her golden age
glancing over the landscape of life
dripping beauty from her pen

a family of mallards
yesterday floating across
the lake's rippling width
gathered in a circle
of open waterway
yet untouched by
nature's freezing point

a green clover
peering up
from a sidewalk crack

still sustained by the sun


(c)ron casison