Autumn

By Skylar Nipper

When the hot, humid summer air

Shifts into something colder, sharper,

Something that carries more care,

I feel as if my skin has come alive again,

Like my heart has been repaired.

When the leaves fall and branches are bare,

The world welcomes me back

With open arms and an orange flair.

Chilled winds become sharper

And enter my skin like a prayer.

When the skies don’t tear

But rather fill with muted gray,

I crawl out of my own despair,

Become something unburrowed.

When autumn arrives, I will be spared.

By Skylar Nipper