In another autumn

My brother Robert and my sister, Marjory gather autumn leaves in the mid-1950s 

at The Farm, on one of my mother's slides. We always enjoyed the bright autumn leaves. 

When we lived in Scotia, I remember my mother melting blocks of paraffin 

in a skillet and dipping in the brightest leaves to coat them with wax. 

Then Mom made arrangements with the orange bittersweet berries 

that grew beside the porch. How well I remember these striped T-shirts

that passed down from one brother to another. 

And how difficult it was to cut little blonde bangs as straight as this.

drawing near them

a sudden loneliness...

autumn leaves

Issa

translated by David Lanoue

at haikuguy.com/issa