Legacy

In distress, the last leaf quivers - 

fragile stalk no longer turning

to the sun, veins thinning by the day

like elders everywhere, but

not yet dry enough to drop.

This relic must be shaken free;

blustering winds whip the leaf

backwards and forwards in a frenzied tussle.

Last slap snatches it off,

eddying, 

                    dancing freely in death,

                                                                       spiralling  down to the ground.

And, over time, it enriches the earth.