In Celebration of Autumn

The Beauty of Autumn

By Josh Watkins

Sitting on the beach,

Staring off into the sunset filled sky,

Watching the last bit of summer,

Hop, skip, and dance on by.

My head floods with emotions,

How the summer has made me see,

A new perspective on life and friendship,

And how the summer has changed me.

Now the sun has set and Autumn has begun,

Bringing in football, Thanksgiving, and the school year.

The North wind releases a mighty roar,

My eyes give way and shed a tear.

The trees shake off their summer coats,

And flash their Autumn colors with pride,

They wave hello as the wind embraces them,

While the leaves challenge the wind for a wild ride.

Birds whistle good-bye,

Furry critters store food and refurbish their homes,

The leaves crunch beneath my feet,

On the city streets I now wander and roam.

Hoodies, sweat pants, and knit hats are back in style,

Guys are looking sharp and the ladies are a sight to behold,

Behind the hoods, scarfs, and cunning smiles,

Lie hearts of love and gold.

As night falls, the savory, hot chocolate soothes my throat,

I am kept warm wrapped up in a quilt by a fireplace,

I lay there dreaming, wishing, and hoping

As the heat kisses my face.

Football season has begun,

Thanksgiving is on its way,

So much delicious food to eat,

So many bone-crushing games to play.

The Philadelphia Eagles are my team of choice,

"Fly Eagles fly!" is what we die-hard fans say,

When they dominate the game,

Winning in each and every way.

Thanksgiving is a memorable occasion in my life,

Family, food, and football all hold their own,

Football is a blast, family is loving,

And the food is picked clean to the very last bone.

The Macy's parade brings joy to my eyes,

To see the floats, bands, and balloons glide across the screen,

Warming peoples' hearts and surprising their faces,

On every single child and teen.

All good things eventually must come to an end,

I am so sad to see it go.

The trees will shed their Autumn attire,

As mother nature sends the chilled air and the snow.

Next time you feel the leaves beneath your feet,

Or the wind kiss your face,

Just stop and look around,

At Autumn's beauty and grace.

I attempted to branch out from my normal rhyming scheme and try the abcb style. I know that I have published this piece before, but it was in an edited form. I re-added a verse I originally omitted. I felt down the road that the verse doesn't fit and I still don't think it does, but the point of these posts is to look back at the original thoughts and see the changes in writing and imagination throughout time. The offending verse (in case you were wondering) is nine. It's cheesy, awkward, ruins the flow, and comes from a passionate fan who one put pride over flow. 

The ultimate reason for this piece was to portray my love for the Fall. It was the beginning of more seasonal pieces which will come later. 

I know I missed yesterday, life was busy and I apologize. I will create a double post in the future. Until then, enjoy this wonderful season!