Despite the warmth and quiet
here in the house
dogs sleeping on the rug
cat on the couch
as I look out the window
taking in the cold November sky
the garden motionless
as if frozen in time
the tiny rufus hummer
swooping in to sip
every six or seven minutes
from our feeder on the deck
I feel the chill of winter
descending like a lowering sky
chasing away what still
remains of that sweet ardor
aroused by the autumn leaves
whose passionate golds and crimsons
lie faded on the soggy ground
leaving only a sad
study in brown
and me to meditate
on how like seasoned sailors
we must learn to navigate
the year's swift turnings
the long summers and winters
the too brief springs and falls
this winter weather I find
hardest of all

If following my family name
which bears but little thought
I could find a hollow
underground and hibernate
until the first spring breezes
awoke me from my dream
I'd do it in a moment
leaving this chilly world behind