so long, my aged memory
the autumn leaves have fallen
your unkindness has awakened
the blossoming tree,
a new season for the eyes to see

in the interim, I sing the anthem
of a child in wait for a mother’s kiss
through David’s harp, the birth of a psalm,
here listen —
a warm welcome for the coming redemption

with much love, I bid my sweetest farewell
to the unborn sorrow of tomorrow
for salvation has embraced me
with eternal solace,
a gift hidden in the setting of the sun

as I lay here in the litterfall
I give thanks to the dried and withered
that brought me to my peaceful slumber

this is the air I breathe