Autumn is a special time of year. It is the transition from the sparkling summer to the sombre morose winter, a metaphor of the journey from life to death. Instead of a melancholy period, one can embrace its tapestry of colours and emotions, a time to reflect and prepare for the hard times ahead.
Skip along the country lanes covered with its patina of golden leaves some crunchy underfoot and brace oneself against the cool sneaky breeze. With its weary wan rays poking through the leaves providing insufficient warmth as one jogs along, nod one’s thanks to the sun retiring to the northern climes. Revel in the red and golden brown leaves still clinging to the twigs and branches until they too can no longer hold on at which moment they will gently flutter to the ground in a pendulum type swaying motion.
Along the telephone wires, the black swallows huddle together in huge swaths waiting for the final whistle of the breeze indicating that they must leave their summer mud nests for an endless journey across the vast plains of Africa and finally fly over the perpetual sandy tracks of the Sahara to find their nests of the previous summer.
Their young huddle around them all enthused with the same innate spark that will ultimately set them off to the northern hemisphere. They are unaware of the long haul to their nesting areas in Europe where they will raise their first brood of young amongst the barns and orchards surrounded by verdant green fields.
The last of the summer rains has long since fallen and the earth underfoot now forms voluntary miniature sand ridges intermingled with leaves now brown before they finally fade away back into dust.
Autumn will be slowly transformed into an austere winter with its stark threadbare stick trees and sharp biting winds.
At this point one can reflect on the vibrant colours and the even tenor of the autumnal days now left far behind.
Justin Hayward of the Moody Blues and his ode to autumn entitled Forever Autumn:
The summer sun is fading as the year grows old,
And darker days are drawing near,
The winter winds will be much colder,
Now you’re not here.
I watch the birds fly south across the autumn sky
And one by one they disappear
I wish that I was flying with them,
Now you’re not here
Like the sun through the trees you came to love me
Like a leaf on a breeze you blew away
Through autumn’s golden gown we used to kick our way
You always loved this time of year
Loose fallen leaves lie undisturbed now
Cos you’re not here x 3
Like the sun through the trees you came to love me
Like a leaf on a breeze you blew away
A gentle rain falls softly on my weary eyes
As if to hide a lonely tear
My life will be forever autumn
Cos you’re not here x 6