i saw a tree undress for sleep,

a stoic beauty underneath the leaves

slow revealed in staggered fade,

falling

around a wrist and tracing lines

all rough and darkened, pressed against the sky

simple, naked gesture names

a reach

(then rest)

Awakened by the cold of day

she poses her arms with just enough grace

shivering in slender dance

that betrays her strength to stand

still

a silent structure much more pure

her silhouetted

form against the wind

makes my footsteps

seem

so

vain

when just enough grace sustains her reach

and the beauty of autumn is underneath.