Hollow Night

trees bleed fire—
a last color
before the fall

rot breathes in the woods,
smoke threads cooling air,
bonfires hollow night

first frost etches glass—
indian summer
slips away

apples split crisp,
cider steams in hand,
the rain stings

barns fill,
animals taken,
bike under cover—
a quiet storing,
future unreachable

bodies lean closer
as nights stretch long—
the pairing season
before freeze