Leaf Blower Season

Leaf Blower Season

Leaf blower season is largely clean-up
after spring optimism and summer excess
leaves have changed colors, come down to us
out of their green heights, waving, stirring
rattling against each other with assurances
touch is real, sound and sight
place is where we were, not are
they have come down to us, into our lowly no-place
we gather them in piles unsorted
neither wanted or unwanted, feared or desired
or indifferent – all just over
saying listen with that inner ear you ignore
we are its family and yours
we are no place have no place but where we’ve been
and left, gone in this vivid passing
brilliant reds and yellows to muddy red-browns
this brief staying that won’t stay
that says what we need to be quiet

A sturdy cardboard carton in the garage
with awkward coils of extension cords
for the leaf blower now but any plug will do
to make them do for us we search for proper ends
male to female in imitation mechanics of gender
will these reach? We start where they can
roaring and whining, sweeping, blowing
grounded leaves leap up dance away from us
as if blower music appeals to them
gives them motion life they left behind in trees
now standing bare-limbed and indifferent

their sound is unique as is our hearing
we push away other sounds to attend
not before as anticipations
or after as receding dissolving memories
only now in astounding autumn twilight
we and they cannot revisit

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