Mortality

For so long has my own fate been kept a secret

Funerals, and airports, and the seasons, and all the other contingent transactions...

I can't remember the last funeral I went to
or who it was for,
and I worry about the next one

Why do we feel most close when we say goodbye,
yet so distant when we're together?
Leave it to an airplane to make all the difference

Some leaves are green,
others yellow,
while a few trees are barren

The pavement looks
like the outrunning of light
this first cold October night

Mortality is heavy as a winter coat,
though it doesn't keep you warm