EXTRAVAGANZA

Autumn puts on a briliant dress
for the last act of summer's play
before the curtain falls.

Lavishly the stage is set
against a backdrop haze of somber pine
the aspens flaunt their scarves of gold
the pleated hills roll in terraced folds
of russet, oak and wild rose. . .
flaming and rising over lingering green
of valley floor...the bronzed-leaf poplars gleam
in aureate light of pale October suns. . .

Such the setting for the play. . .
a pageant spread beneath a shell of crystal blue
to the music of the winds that sway
the willows by the stream. . .

Extravagant . . . yes, but this is the last big scene
before the winter comes
and the white curtain falls!