Marcescent

these deciduous trees

who keep all

their leaves

through winter

fagus

quercus

carpinus

and the like

well not quite all

with the collapsing of

the season a few precocious

leaves from these stockpiling trees

always seem to have had enough

with hanging about the secrets

stored in nodes and terminal buds

they know

tomorrow belongs

to someone else

they stare

into the

prevailing

autumn wind

let go

tumble with the brittle sound

of rustling joy as

they scuttle across

the settling earth

dance with

the first dust of snow

gather with other tired friends

along the fence

fluff into drifts

where sleepy bumblebees

crawl to rest where larvae hide

their paper wings

and wait winter out