It's a cold, gray afternoon, but I am invigorated
as I walk along this country road,
savoring the frosty air, cleansed of its impurities
by the brisk, swirling winds of late Fall.
White puffs of wood smoke can be seen billowing
from the chimney of a nearby cabin,
as a hunter stokes his first fire of the fall season.
I am filled with the joy of living as I savor
the sights, the smells and the sounds of autumn.

Strolling leisurely along my way,
with a song in my step, and a song in my heart,
I absorb the beauty around me.
Treetops soar into the cerulean blue sky
as if reaching for the heavens above.
Fine, crystalline structures surround the edges
of a beaver pond and the familiar sound of
slapping tails is comforting to me.
With a thirst upon me, I pull some sap from an evergreen.
The pungent taste of pine tar moistens my mouth
as I savor the flavor of nature's gum.

The preparations are many
for the changing of the seasons,
from summer heat-wave to winter frost.
Chipmunks have been busy all autumn,
gathering nuts for the long, hard months ahead,
and the Canada geese have flown south much earlier this year,
in their valiant attempt to beat the coming snow.
The pines have grown thick,
and are heavily laden with cones,
thereby ensuring their propagation next Spring.

The earthy smells of this time of year
bring back memories of long ago
--flashing images of my vibrant youth
when I would run with carefree abandon
through fallen leaves that blanketed the forest floor.
Oh, the delight I had in discovering the perfect fungus,
growing on a rotting log or bark of a standing tree,
and of the pictures I made with pointed twig or fingernail
on the underside of these saprophytic treasures.

It has been a magnificent Indian Summer,
but the flaming reds and oranges have now given way
to the dull browns of dead leaves swirling about.
A trail of tracks, made by some small animal,
can be see in the light scattering of snow
as it scurries home for its long winter's nap.
Yes, indeed, winter is on its way,
and soon it will be ushered in
with the passing of yet another,
magnificent Indian Summer.