The Joy of Autumn

The autumn leaves have changed.
From green to sun-kissed orange.
They litter the ground,
Falling without sound.

To be raked in piles,
By children with smiles.
By sisters and brothers,
Fathers and mothers.

To be the mattress on which we lay,
Jumping on them as if they were hay.
Bringing us back to childhood days,
Smiling back at the friends we made.

But now we are older and our time has come.
I've lived so long, longer than some.
I think back now on those wonderful days,
Knowing those leaves will clutter my grave.