Fall Day

I came across it today.
The first body, a forerunner,
perhaps a scout.
Lying on the sidewalk limp
and damp. Finished by time.
Vulnerable to the shoes and boots
of those who barely notice it is there.
Far ahead of those who still cling
tightly to the only home
they've ever known.
Bach's prelude in C minor
played by the wind and rain
accompanied by these
pagan dancers of death
who swirl and flutter so
elegantly on this dark day.
The harbingers
of life to come, of hope
and trust and knowledge
that the tree will live
because of their sacrifice.