4

 
All the browner shades were in the leaves
(brownian sway, adrift, reducing to red
and yellow, blue, black).  And I said,
all the leaves that autumn leaves

 
will fall into my book.  Atop a newspaper
a gray dove doodled charcoal in the margin
(camouflage for the horizon line).
The season narrowed down to zero (here).

 
Four corners, four seasons... and a tightrope
diagonal for the lightweight ballerina, her
microcosmic gyroscope (slow monorail
drone, agonized monotone, balanced on hope

 
alone).  In his mind's eye, Everyman
sheaves bouquets for her around the arena;
and the applause was like the pat-patina
of the leaf-shuffle (autumnal unison).