The wind brings cool air and swirling leaves
falling gracefully to the ground,
covering the lake with brocade flourishes,
painting the sky with bursts of flaming colours
as the leaves fall from the trees,
delicately finding places to land
leaving skeletal trees with no cover
for the wicked winter to come.
Frances Garofalo was the winner of the 2022 Venera Fazio poetry contest. She lives in Thunder Bay.
