Still Light

In the waning light, 

I go to the driveway to sweep

 before the night's expected rain.  

I am never terribly neat about all these leaves, 

but I do try to keep the drains clear;

they are not terribly efficient either.   

 

A neighbor walks by slowly, 

letting his old dog keep up.  

We often say hello, 

but today, he stops, 

and we talk of leaf fall.     

The leaves are not yet done, 

nor are we,

so we take a little bit of time

to look up and speak

of leaves and trees 

and the messy beauty 

of it all.