"Autumn… the year’s last, loveliest smile."

"Autumn… the year’s last, loveliest smile." 

— William Cullen Bryant

Photos and Verses by Dr Abe V Rotor

Our lugo' or talisay tree (Terminalia catappa) at home "bids autumn goodbye."

Remnants of amihan* cling to the tree,

now cinders dying, bidding goodbye;

consoling in tears, "Hanggang sa muli,"

 under my new crown, please don't cry."

-

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree." — Emily Brontë

Fallen leaves pile up after confetti for days,
blanket of the earth, abode of crawlers, 
mulch, compost, against flood and drought;
mysterious indeed are our Creator's ways.

*Amihan refers to the Northeast Monsoon in the Philippines, a season characterized by cool, dry air and winds blowing from the northeast.