The Solitaire Leaf

"The Solitaire Leaf"

I wander what he's thinking,
That last solitaire leaf upon our solitaire tree.
It seems almost to have thoughts,
To whisper its emotions eagerly to me.

Is he proud, insolent and haughty, perhaps?
That he should be the foremost
The most fit of the survivors
Refusing to surrender the ghost

Or he might be sad, you know
Lonely without his friends who have fallen, all
His best pal who flew away with the first wind,
An early casualty of this year's swiftly arriving fall

Yesterday, with Marie's harsh words still ringing in my ears,
I was certain I saw pain in its lines
Bitterness and spite against the world
And even perhaps a loneliness to mirror mine

But today, and Marie agrees, he seems bold
Proud and insolent youth-like Peter Pan-vowing never to sway
Marie gives a soft, gentle tug upon my arm and we leave him
And I pretend not to see the breeze that carries him ruthlessly
away