Octobers Dance

Today was one of those fall days that blow away any doubt that the season has changed.

Maybe it was just a normal autumn bluster or maybe it was the promised last hurrah of the Pacific typhoon Ling Ling.

The tenacity of the multi-hued dogwood surprised me. It refused to release its garment to the windy blasts that flailed at my coat and turned my umbrella inside out. Wooosh!

On the street and sidewalk, vortexes of colors flew in swirling masses then exploded in a kaleidoscope reminiscent of a pyrotechnic show. Afterwards, the leaves floated, tangoed, and frolicked on their way back to the ground.

A number played hide and seek around the corners of buildings and beneath parked cars. Doorways enticed them, as did the shoes of people scurrying in and out. The scattered walk brought to mind a recent petal-strewn aisle of an outdoor wedding.

An artist could take envious note of how the occasional raindrops painted the sidewalk with silhouettes of locust, maple and sycamore.

Fingers of wind vibrated the power lines like an electric guitar. However, as it carried on through the eaves and awnings I heard the plaintive drone of a bagpipe. My favorite tune is the acoustic rustling of the leaves and the creaking rhythm of the lofty giant’s limbs.

A staccato hailstorm played the final chaotic movement in natures wind symphony.

Later, as I walked to my car, a few gold tinged clouds opened to reveal a setting sun. In spite of the storm, the reflected light proved that a colorful array still hugged the branches.

Awwww--- perhaps tomorrow October’s Dance will make an encore.