First breath of fall
Came into my town today
Fresh and effervescent air
Like champagne tickling my skin
It tossed the trees
Outside my window at dawn
Calling me down to the canyon
Where the north-turning breeze
Was rattling the dry sycamore leaves
We hastened down the trail
Then turned off the close green way
And down into the creek bed
Where the open air flowed
Above dry white rocks
And we could see
Mockingbirds, cardinals, and doves
Eating seeds in the creek bed
They fluttered up as the dogs loped in
And the air was punctuated
With winged creatures
All of whom seemed to know
A change is coming
I saw a marvelous swallowtail butterfly
Huge, yellow striped wings
Purplish twin tails
His wings beat with slow deliberation
Resting on a leafy perch
How long will you survive
Once the real cold comes?
The beautiful ephemera
All the more prized for the fragility
Of their short hours
Look now and see them well
Late summer flowers
Faces turned to the sky
It was a big year on Barton Creek
For Triodanis perfiolata, Venus' Looking Glass
And everywhere their five-pointed flowers
Lined the trail in splendor
And the beauty berries hung heavy with red fruit
Soaking up energy
From a waning sun
That won't let go
It will yet burn the days
For fall comes to Texas in fits and starts
Hot and cold
Until the first real norther
Blows in with chill violence
And true autumn comes at last