A tree on fire
Bursts of red
Orange and yellow
Imprints in my head.

Beauty at its peak
Can’t ever change
But one day you find
You’re suddenly a sage.

The leaves have fallen
The leaves are dead
Something wonderful
Lies in its final bed.

Could not seize the vision
Cannot wish it back
The way of the seasons
My fate with Gack.

It’s a world no longer
Just green and blue
Where to from here?
I have no clue.

Watching leaves
Spin in the wind
As memories flood
My eyes blind.

Written October 1997

About this poem: There once was a boy who broke my heart. He was my first love. While heartbreak was new, I was also new to experiencing the four seasons of the Northeast–having only known the endless summers in the Philippines prior to that.