the seasons changed

i felt the breeze

brilliant painted trees and those floating orange leaves

my mother gathers the children

and we rake our own piles

SCRATCH SCRATCH against the earth

i felt the breeze

on a count of three we throw our piles in the air

i watch those torn leaves flip and spin to the ground

my mother snaps pictures

i felt the breeze

two years later, we look at those pictures

oh how those apricot leaves looked against my tan skin

now i feel the winter wind