I’ve always loved Autumn.
Jeans, sweaters, boots
Friday night football games
Bonfires and S’Mores
Cider and Pumpkins
Corn Mazes and Haunted Houses
And of course, the breathtaking fall foliage
It’s always Autumn when thoughts of you,
like the leaves swirling in the breeze,
flutter around me beyond my control.
Memories of our days together
span the four seasons.
But It’s always this time of year,
when I miss you the most.
Two October nights,
bookends to our time together,
play through my mind
like pictures of an outdated filmstrip.
You and me,
just two of the many teenagers
on a crowded bus
headed to Scaremare.
You-a deaf guy,
looking for someone to talk to.
Me-a shy girl,
working on her 9th grade homework.
You ask for paper,
I oblige.
You ask my name,
and I reply.
Two hours, over a hundred miles,
and countless pages later
a friendship is forged.
You and me
Just two of the many people
in a parking lot
leaving a revival service
You-a deaf guy,
unabashedly calling my name.
Me-a shy girl,
smiling as I stop to turn
You run towards me,
I wait.
You hug me tightly,
and I’m safe.
Several goodnights, twenty-four hours,
and one phone call later,
you’re gone—forever.
Fourteen years have passed
without you in my life.
Still you live on
in the memories,
especially this time of year.
I’ve always loved Autumn.
