The Midwest Embraces Her Four Seasons 
 
	With her warm rain and bright sun,
	Summer left so quietly,
	I didn’t know she was gone
	Until the cool winds told me.

	Then, brisk fall came barging in,
	Telling the birds to take off.
	That it was time to go south,
	And to take care while aloft.

	She changed it to be her way.
	She liked bold colors as red,
	And so she painted the leaves
	To drop as a carpet spread.

	She made the wind strong and cold.
	And the hard pelting rain said,
	“Soon snow will be winter’s face
	Dimpling the ground.” No more red.

	And then, spring came dancing in,
	Bringing with her the new shoots,
	Whose flowers honeyed the bees,
	To help summer grow her fruits.

	There’s a season for all things.
	A time to be born, to grow.
	A time to bear your own fruit.
	A time to leave, to let go.

	M. Dolores Dennis