The leaves tumble down to the creek‘s floor
like careless drops from the brush of an unseen artist.
Splattering the rocks with autumn rainbow hues,
they and the creek make a painting of their own.
But this is no accident. There’s nothing careless here.
It took eons to produce this scene, time beyond measure.
All for this moment, this one breath of a day,
when the light and the breeze were just so,
and it was early September.