The autumn swells came yesterday;
Starlings auditioned for the first movement,
Covering the ground like a black burning.
Choreography by the November Djinns and
Capricious winds accompanying
The Jack Frost pumpkin scenes.
A rogues gallery of flying leaves
Adding interest, movement, and color.
No shallow plot mars the storyline;
The colder months enliven the bitterest
Season- many of the oldest actors
Will give their final performance now.
It is all improvisation at the last, but when
The curtain comes down, will they manage to
Stop playing the part after so many years?

Patti Masterman

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/memento-mori-3/