Seasonal Blueprint

There is a respite in the forest this day
from the incessant winds that have
brought an early winter to the unready
landscape where foliage still cling to
their hospitable perches, now stilled
no longer weaving and waving masts
within the forest canopy a dazzling glory
of brilliant yellows, gold and orange in
a display of nature's artistic talents
despite the absence of probing fingers
of sunlight on an overcast day whose
darkened clouds fail to subdue autumn's 
signature expressed on the forest floor
in a deep abundance of fallen foliage
preparing to put the forest to sleep
during the cold months that deeply
penetrate the soil to depths overlaying
tree roots harbouring the living sap
blanketed with mellow yellows soon
to join the richness of the leaf mass
assembled through countless autumns
well familiar with the onset of winter
for already lazy spirals of snow are
descending in white flurries of frozen
rain exemplifying the resolute season
departures in nature's primal domain.