A Magical Slip in Seasons (A Poem)

By Joyce Jacobo

[Author’s Note: I’m really looking forward to the arrival of Autumn.]

When Autumn slips into our world

   dressed in amber and golden waves

 she alters the fabric of reality

    and thins the gauze that hangs

      between this existence and the next—

              or so the old legends say

Enchantments fashioned over the centuries

    born out of the darkest fears

      or wildest hopes

         seep into the air 

             to nestle within open minds

                 and welcome nightmarish fantasies

                      unspoken throughout most of the year

The cycle of life . . .

    All that begins must have an end

      but those ends will lead to new beginnings

Of darkness that falls . . .

    As the night swallows the sunshine earlier each day

      while shadowy beasts roam on the edges

          of healthy imaginations

Where spirits emerge . . .

     Like an entourage in the wake of Autumn

        they return to haunt those who live

             in various guises

                accompanied by all manner

                   of monstrous creatures

                         and ethereal entities

Just a slip from one season to the next

     yet a single slip

          can make a huge difference

    for the eyes that open

         to the mysteries that linger

            for us to muse upon

               when harvest moons glow bright