Random Thoughts on a Lazy Autumn Afternoon (A Poem)

By Joyce Jacobo

[Author’s Note: Autumn is a sweet time, indeed–and the perfect opportunity to reflect on life.]

Do you ever like to just drift away           such as on a lazy autumn afternoon

  much like a boat released from an old wooden dock     and allowed to float

     off down a peaceful stream     emerald green from algae

          bordered on either side by a forest filled with maple trees

              whose branches shed multihued leaves

                    as you slipped past them?

A simple moment or two taken amid the commotion of life

      elsewhere in the world

                                  is not so much of a self-imposed exile

             as a momentary retreat

When the world spins without mercy

                                                the ability to lay back and simply breathe

                    becomes a precious luxury

        for the mind

                                   and the body

A point to settle the nerves          to continue a long trek

        from one mountain peak                  onto the next

I like to stand atop a hilltop far out in the countryside

                                     (sometimes)

     where the grass is soft and verdant

        where wildflowers grow that attract butterflies

              and over which clear blue skies stretch

                          with the occasional tickle of a breeze

But where would you prefer to go             I wonder

           as a means

              to strengthen you for the world

                       or perhaps even as a reminder

                                             of its inherent beauty?

Or simply

            to feel at complete peace?