Annette Marie Hyder

The autumn forest
wet with rain
is a lucid dream
where all the colors
shine like glass
that has been polished
in the wind.

Every leaf is a door
that shakes and shudders
trembling to be opened
and behind which stand
all the trees of time
immemorial.

Fire and rain blend,
become a gateway
or a bridge
spanning from one season
to the next —
inviting one to cross.