Life, as a Moment

A boy looks to the leaves

In the crisp days of fall

And observes the changing colors

Of the forest

As each day passes

The leaves become more beautiful

The turning of the leaves,

Or foliage

Eventually the leaves turn brown

They dry up and cease to exist

Yet their dead casts remain on the ground

Underneath the trees they fell

Here they lie,

Their previous beauty

Is only a memory

The boy passes through life

Into adulthood, and next elder

No longer blossoming,

His youth is calmly fading

And now, his time is ending

Nearing his last breath

He sees a leaf fall

Unto a pile of others,

Smothered by another

He notices the leaf is not brown

It is still quite yellow

Having fallen too soon

Defeated by a gust of wind

Realizing the full life he had

Grateful for the opportunity

To turn brown

Aware some do not make it there

Here lasting on the tree

To the last stage

And falling to the ground

To lay with the rest

Underneath the trees they fell