A September day
So bright yet so damp
Disturbing the rhythm
Set by summers lamp
The colors of autumn
Were spread all around
A chill in the air
And leaves on the ground

A curbside bench
Facing a garden
Looking as inviting
As a plush ottoman
Unwanted weeds
And a thicket or two
A barren tree stood
Amidst these outgrew

I sat and I wondered
What lived in a tree
When most leaves had fallen
And branches were free
No shade to provide
No fruit to be found
Just a mighty trunk
Jutting from the ground

Then chipmunks came bounding
And slid up the tree
Into a dark crevice
Disappeared all three
A slight breeze gushed by
I sipped on my drink
The remaining few leaves
Were just on the brink

I sat and I watched
As people walked by
With faces hung down
And phones held up high
But nobody noticed
The music that feet
Made as the dry leaves
Were crushed underneath

The chipmunks emerged
To forage some more
To make a deposit
Of acorns galore
This giant coat hanger
Was not really so
Lifeless as it seemed
Just moments ago

When winter will come
And nature will spite
These nimble creatures
Shall have some respite
For they strive today
Lest future dismay
Whilst we put off things
And cause disarray

No leaf would grow
For few months atleast
And branches won't yield
Sweet edible treats
But even in times
Of wintry starkness
This tree will maintain
Some life in its darkness