And It Will Come

Oak leaves flutter to the ground, landing like silent birds.
Do they feel the sun's oblique rays low in the sky?
Do they pretend that summer's not quite gone?
A whirlwind lifts the leaves.
They shake and hiss across the asphalt like serpents warning us not to love
   summer too much.
There's no escaping what's to come – the wind that spits a thousand tiny pin pricks into your cheeks and a snake that laughs and shouts, “Told you so!  Winter's here!”

                         by Joan Chamberlin
 

Editor’s Note: As our northern and southern hemispheres feel the autumn/spring changes, I am reminded that seasons are a part of the astronomical world – since they are, after all, caused by the tilt of Planet Earth in its orbit.  Astronomers Without Borders live in a context of Seasons Without Borders!  If Joan’s fine poem inspires you to also put your own sense of the changing seasons into poetry, please don’t hesitate to send your work to the Astropoetry Blog!