Fall: A Poem

I'm NOT a poet.  Let me start by saying that.  HOWEVER, I have an extreme respect for the way poets use words, gleaning the greatest amount of meaning from the fewest words possible.  So, I'm taking the lessons of poetry to heart, as having at least a rudimentary mastery of the concepts will make me a stronger novelist. 

In our last Nebraska Writers Workshop meeting, we talked about how a poem reveals a bit of the soul of the poet.  I find that is true of all writing.  I see bits of myself in so many of my characters.  But by the very stark nature of a poem, this is even more apparent.  There isn't the flowery prose or action to hide behind. 

So, here I go, baring a bit of my own soul.  Once again, keep in mind that I'm not a poet, but I am becoming a bit infatuated with poetry.

                  Fall

          Dark, bleak,

                 The shades of fall.

          Serve as a reminder,

                 The end comes for us all.

          Greens turn to orange,

                 Reds, browns fade to gray.

          Cold death of winter

                Night eclipses the day.

           I dream of pastel shades of spring,

                Rebirth.

          Hope and renewal,

                Creation filling the Earth.

          Patterns emerge,

                A cycle of life.

          Happiness exists,

                With anguish, pain, strife.

          A delicate balance,

                 I can’t control.

          But shows me,

                What’s important to let go, to hold.

          In the depths of despair,

                 I search for the sun.

          The battle is lost,

                 But the war can be won.

           I can’t see through the darkness,

                The reds, grays, the brown.

          Sorrow overtakes me,

                 Despair pulls me down.

          Paint me a rainbow,

                 Please send me a sign.

          Through the dark of winter,

                 Til spring comes again, 

          In  renewal,

                Joy can be mine.