| AUTUMN LADY |
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| The days are growing shorter in the autumn of her life The shadows ever lengthening The sun lower in the sky Yet never in an earlier time had she seemed so brilliant and rich With vivid color she brightly shines Finding comfort in her niche The air is crisp around her Charisma at her side Still turning heads, she has the respect of successors in their prime No longer green and tender as in her summer days Her assurance is invigorating Her spirit is ablaze Smooth skin traded for self-reliance Insight in place of pretense Yet retaining her adolescent defiance and her girlhood playful sense She's rooted now more deeply Together with others wove Look closely, though, and you'll still see sprigs of newer growth There's much to share and much to know Regardless of our season There's always room to learn and grow Even amid a winter freezing From here she views her autumn self in a warm and glowing way She squirrels away nuggets of thought she'll need some winter's day |
| (c) 2004 Sheila W |