In the foothills autumn
Nibbles at September,
And the afternoon breeze
Sighs a melancholy cry
Of fading light and life.
In the high country,
Winter takes a bite
Of the lofty peaks,
Whose bare shoulders
Brace against the firmament.
Below, the final act of aspens
Blaze in golden splendor.
But the wind will have its way,
Closing the summer show
In a dazzle of swirling leaves,
And a melancholy sigh.
Poem by Francis Flavin
Francis Flavin is a poet, writer and author. In his writing he draws upon his experience as an educator, hockey player, fish and game field worker, public interest lawyer, investigator, and adventurer on four continents. He was the first Alaska State Ombudsman, founding member of the International Ombudsman Steering Committee, and former Director of the Alaska Commission on Judicial Conduct. He is Faculty Emeritus at the University of Nevada, Reno. His work has been published in Poetry Quarterly, Poets Choice, Blueline, Pacific Review, Blue Collar Review, La Piccioletta Barca, Three Line Poetry, WestWard Quarterly, and on the websites of the Society of Classical Poets and the Adirondack Center for Writing. He has received recognition for humor (2017 and 2/2018) and flash fiction (2018) in the Soul-Making Keats Literary Competition, and in the social impact category of the 2019 Chicagoland Poetry Contest. http://francisflavinauthor.com