Autumn's Palette

The high staccato shriek 
of a pileated woodpecker
cracks the calm of a still
fall afternoon. Its triumphant
declaration of territory reverberates
through the woods in the twilight
atmosphere of still-green foliage
crowding the crowns of
deciduous trees where the
dense woodland canopy
efficiently blocks the sun's rays.
Random brilliant red in a
sea of green drifts to the
forest floor, a magic mosaic
of autumn's exquisite palette.