fiery fronds frisk along the ink-black asphalt,
freezing now, flying then, waltzing with the wind.
leaves pulled in, caught in a febrile tarantella,
one second spinning as one,
the next, cast out and vile to the touch of the breeze.
one leaf, two leaves, three leaves, then a branch,
caught in the whirlwind:
a gentle solo,
whipped into a maddened masquerade,
blazing maple gowns and aspen frocks ablaze,
rising above the treetops,
sweeping from the cul-de-sac out to the avenue,
along the black tar to the rising moon.
swirling cyclone,
grasping all in its way,
embracing all,
then banishing all from sight,
not choosing, yet it's all or nothing.
push away, pull back.
tides of the whirlwind
leave perplexed leaves in its wake,
snapped out of their hypnotic waltz,
desperate for another frenzied dance,
standing still, then trembling to fill the void the gale had torn.