A Golden Autumn Afternoon

The cool, soft breeze toys with the tiny hairs on my arms, and whispers her breath through the tall grass as though the blades were gorgeous strands of hair, and whispers gently through the Autumn-tinged leaves of a young oak, which glisten in the golden light of the late afternoon sun, creating a green, red, and gold masterpiece against a vivid blue sky.

And other shades of trees
with other shades of leaves
rustling nearby--
the burnt crimsons and auburns
of early Autumn--
threatening to cast their rusty foliage
heavily upon the world in one momentous act,
signifying the cycle of life
and the beauty of fair Nature's creation...

The aging wooden sign swings against the soft, cool breeze, creaking in harmony with the last of the songbirds that have yet to fly to warmer climes.

The breeze picks up the lighter ends of her dark brown hair, kissed by the sun at the water's edge over the last of youthful Summers. She smiles and laughs as the wind throws wisps of hair across her face, unaware of the dance it is having with this early Autumn breeze... the breeze that brushes across our faces and recalls the scent of Autumns past... the scent of falling leaves and chimney smoke... the scent of the year's harvest coming to its end.

Her laughter fills the air and plays against the songbird's melody and the slow creek of the aging wooden sign to compose the first song of Autumn:

A song that captures the breeze
and the Autumn-tinged leaves
and the the cinnamon scent of fallen leaves
mixed with the familiar smell of chimney smoke
that brings back the memories of the Autumns of our youths;

Such a song as would fill the heart of any person once young with the happiness that deems it impossible not to smile at least a little, while recalling the falling leaves of years long past and all but forgot, or the long-lost scent of home-cooked meals that spreads throughout the neighborhood as children share their love of fall outdoors.

And just so, a smile finds its way across my face, to answer the smile and laughter which find their roots deep within her beautiful and jovial heart. With that smile on my face, I reach across to brush the dancing wisps of hair from her pretty face, which has been playfully trying to hide her stunning, happy eyes and gorgeous, luminous smile.

The smile on her face and in her eyes catches on the breeze and wafts over across my face, touching my heart and forever marking my soul as our hands find their way into each other's grasp, sharing a love so profound our hearts can barely understand.

The burnt, ruddy crimson and auburn leaves rustle as they blow past our feet, and we shiver in unison as the late afternoon breeze picks up an early evening chill, the full harvest moon already visible in the darkening vivid blue sky.

The wind whispers her breath through the tall grass as we stand to find a warmer place to sit and laugh, and as I pull her warm Autumn jacket up over her shoulders, the chilled, scented breeze brings her dark brown hair to dance softly across my face and across a smile that affects my very soul, and we turn to embrace each other with laughter in our hearts.

And in this way, arm in arm, we walk on: with the joviality of youth and the joy of love in our hearts. A playful kiss on her soft, warm cheek brings a smile back to her face and laughter back to my ears on a golden Autumn afternoon and early Autumn evening I will never, ever forget.