For the first time in years

I do no rake leaves

A lifetime of autumns

has been nothing but hustle

to get to them before they get to my yard

But not this year

This year I do not rake leaves

For the first time in years

I do not rake leaves

This year I just watch

and lament with the mother tree

and her sorrowful branches

as young, beautiful leaves fall inevitably

This year I do not rake leaves

For the first time in years

I do not rake leaves

because fall was always your favorite season

I let each falling leaf remind me of you-

beautiful and painful

I try to enjoy the melancholic memories, and that is why

This year I do not rake leaves