autumn: a poem

Photo by Kerstin Wrba on Unsplash

the air smelled crisper yesterday;
that season, my favorite season,
is peeking through the summer heat:

spooky season, crunch-of-leaves season,
pumpkin-scented season, black cats,
witch hats, cemeteries and the dead,
candy corn and the cool breeze,
knit-sweaters-with-long-sleeves season,

my favorite of them all.

it feels almost as if
an old lover who has long passed
is returning as a spirit,
a humming ghost
to serenade and greet me
once more.

i take its hand and smile,
walking through the leaves,
breathing deep,
enjoying the return
of my lover.