It starts in a whisper as the wind puffs its cheeks,

and the snuffling hedgehog a resting place seeks,

as the night twirls her cape and smothers the sun,

and the swallows and blue tits return to their young,

as the fairies of winter in shimmering boots,

scatter their ice-dust as the wise owl hoots,

the flowers and shrubs gently roll down their sleeves,

and the paw printed ground grows stiff in the breeze,

those who are foolish enough not to sleep,

not to hide from the darkness in holes that are deep,

will soon witness such a frightening thing,

that the petals grow pale and the birds do not sing,

for this is the time that the withering trees ,

give up and let go of their old dying leaves.

They float to the ground, shrivelled, forgotten,

their featureless faces twisted and rotten,

and when they reach the frost covered earth,

with their very last breath the lament their birth,

and as they shed the last of their flesh,

so they begin their sad dance of death,

dislocated puppets on transparent strings,

with brittle fingers and terrible grins,

they dance and dance on their spindly toes,

howling and weeping their way through the snow,

and any creature they brush with their bones,

will instantly die and crumble to stones,

for such is the curse of the skeleton leaves,

whose bitter touch is full of disease,

for they cannot bear that their lives were in vain,

to have grown, then to shrivel, and then perish in pain,

so to all those who dare watch their demise,

they will hunt and ensure that they pay with their lives.

It is only when dawn lets down her hair,

and her rich golden ringlets float through the air,

that the leaves stop their dancing and forever do sleep,

and it is safe for the creatures to creep,

and to witness the world in a new golden glow,

as the smile of the sun reflects on the snow,

their  fear is forgotten as they start to munch,

on new shoots and leaves they chew and they crunch,

and the leaves from their grave of freezing earth,

can only envy their young siblings worth,

for they had a purpose, to be eaten as food,

not to turn brown and to be of no good,

as so their regret will forever remain,

as they sink into earth to begin once again.

image courtesy of Kazeryuujin@dviantart.com