September

 
there's a stillness that reeks of...
...something not fully decayed
a haunting

darkness lingers
curling around awareness
crowding
trying to get a chokehold

as charcoal shades
blot out vibrant colors
not yet chilled by winter
yet no longer summer

& memories anchor to its existence
no matter how long
...or hard I try...
to forget them

constant guard
I cannot afford to slip
into the muted melancholy it offers
a fall beyond bearing

waiting for the first bright dying leaf
to drop at my fumbling feet
providing focus
beauty

outside
the darkened halls
of my being