<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><br class=""><div><br class=""><blockquote type="cite" class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div dir="ltr" class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">A Sacred Autumn Afternoon <span class=""></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span class=""> </span></p><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">Oh dark energy be gone<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">and be gone<span class=""> </span><span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">until the day<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">when I can take you in<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">without the danger of falling in.<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">Meanwhile I can dance ever so lightly<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">around you,<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">I can sing and dance, dance and sing.<span class=""></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span class=""> </span></p><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">Today we built a grave in the forest<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">around the place <span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">where ancient Mimi’s tiny body rested.<span class=""></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span class=""> </span></p><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">I see you Mimi coiled into a small, <span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">small ball, velvet like,<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">curled up into yourself on the hard-won chair <span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">purring,<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">black on white sheepskin,<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">your withered body<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">exuding so much loving energy<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">towards those who would come close,<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">close enough <span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">to hear the teeny purring.<span class=""></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span class=""> </span></p><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">Today we went to the pond<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">half-covered with aquatic foliage.<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">In the slanted light espousing the water<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">I beheld my son’s white body<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">standing naked on a board<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">paddling ripples<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">silver <span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">on all that green.<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">The improvised vessel came to a standstill<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">and the last rays of the sun <span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">dissolved the dazzling wrinkles.<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">Concentric circles radiated out<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">from the body<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">into infinity. <span class=""></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span class=""> </span></p><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">This pond and I had communed many-a-day<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">when I was alone in my contemplation<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">but now our ‘little fur family’<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">danced with new vitality.<span class=""></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span class=""> </span></p><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">Oh dark energy you are gone<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">as we blessed that day in Autumn<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">and strolled to the orchard where we bit into<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">apples, pears and plums <span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">dropping from overloaded branches,<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">while our basket gracefully received<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">the fragrant verbena we would infuse after supper.<span class=""></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0in 0in 0.0001pt;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman""><span class=""> </span></p><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">And the little family<span class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";" class="">got home before dark<span class=""></span></div>
<span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman"" class="">to make dinner.</span>
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