A Velvet Shoe

By June Masters Bacher

Autumn wears a velvet shoe,

And makes no footstep sound.

Colored leaves a signal sense

And ballet to the ground.

Milkweed pods burst their coats

To let their ripe seeds fly,

On silken wings to other lands

Against a darkening sky.

The alder leaves along the branch

Clasp their hands in prayer

In sanctuary silence—

Autumn is in the air.

The wild geese warn of winter

In frost-remembered cry,

A honking wedge of feathers,

As to the south they fly.

Sleep sweetly, Earth, but lightly,

You have earned a rest.

Soon you’ll hear the curtain call

To model April’s dress.

Illustrated by Mary Walton