I’m four years old and it’s pumpkin season again. 

I’m holding tightly to my best friend’s mittened hand 

and feeling the wind whipping at my face, 

turning the tip of my nose pink, 

tell me I cannot drink the air;

yet the smoke on the horizon curls like a finger,

inviting me to taste February in the wind

and know time is running out

Mama stands next to me
Her hair golden in the sun
At the farm 
By the pumpkin patch

Every day that year 
I would look up at the sky 
At night it was black and blue 
With white stars 
Glowing bright above 
The Marfa lights 
The streetlights glowed 
Bright and bold

Late at night
Under the comfort of the fall air
I would sit on the roof
Watching the stars in the sky 
As the smell of the different seasons 
Comforts me 
With the same music as all those years ago

Autumn or fall?

It depends on how you look at it;

For some, it is used interchangeably.

For others, "fall", simply because it is easier to spell and quicker to say

But also

Because it is, after all,

A bird chirps

Along with morning's song,

Humming along

With warm beams of light,

Letting out calls

Merging with yawns

As arms stretch

Along with uncurling wings,

Reaching for a morning hug,

The asters are out again, just in time for my birthday.

And each year on this day, I look back and wonder how a person can change so much, and how without thinking I suddenly am who I am.

Autumn sculpts the land,

casting away Summer, 

but through the cracks in the clay, 

whispers of Summer haunt the day.

The suns ray's seep down,

casting the red and orange leaves a glow.  

Summer is going fast, 
As the nights grow colder. 

Summer came and went, 
And took with it that feeling. 

Fall brings sorrow, 
It reminds you that time doesn't stop. 

Every day

At a 3

I would walk home

Taking the same path

In fall I would admire

The trees and colors

One evening I saw a tree

With one little leaf

It was bright red

Standing out against

Each time a leaf falls

Another heart shatters

Each time the wind blows

Another break up

But each time a pumpkin is carved

A date is planned

Each time a cider donut is devoured

Another kiss