ONE AUTUMN DAY - To Margaret on her birthday, April 1999

The leaves fell, dropping slow,
Burnt amber in the autumn sun.
The trees aflame and glowing
As if alive and speaking of their
Time of glory before their branches
Stand bare and seemingly bereft
Of life –“No more,” their branches
Seem to say, swaying in the gentle breeze.
But hope lies there, resting, waiting
For renewed budding, restoring.
We need this time of winter
To renew ourselves so we may,
Like the trees, find newness
In our lives, and build on hope
Which never leaves but sometimes
Slumbers in our grieving hearts
Or in our suffering, seeming endless.
Hope is the gift which springs eternal.
Never let it die for want of nurture
But nourish it until the time when
It can burst full of vibrant colour
In our sometimes daunting lives.

For more information on these poems, contact edmund@balnaves.org