The dry leaf rolled over to the side of the road
Turning over itself slowly in the subtle breeze
Until it went down the open gutter
And was out of sight
Yes, it had life but was running out of it
Running to the side of the road
Running away from the tree
Running away from being trampled under people’s feet
Running away from other leaves
Running away from life.
It was life, sweeping it off its feet
And pushing it to the edge
The crackling sound
With a life of its own
Playing on loop in the wind
My eyes followed it
Till the end of time
With clocks catching the beat
Coming alive
I closed my eyes
Felt the heat of the sun on the back of my neck
The strength of it’s life holding me back
I looked at my shadow in front of me
As if asking a question
“Have you decided to take the step?”
I let out a sigh
Feeling the life of my breath above my lips
Tickling the beads of sweat below my nose
But the moment I raised my foot
To walk forward
The leaf fell down the drain
A life gone in vain
It was too late.
