Sweetly fragrant, white roses
Defy the twilit afternoon.
Beautyberries set purple accents
Though their leaves have gone to ground.
Firethorn and autumnal trees sparkle
Orange, red, and Golden
Along bent, narrow streets
*
A lost seagull pines for succour
That won’t come.
Survive at your peril.
A challenge for every bird
Every creature:
To live or die
As nature decides
*
Life is a circle
Where nothing is lost
While nature is ruling.
Upend it, and
The outcome
Will be grave
*
©HMH, 2022