A Verdant Sigh

A scarecrow stands in quiet snow
A breath was held and then let go
Though there was wind, it wasn't strong
And when I'm gone, by-and-by
I'll leave to you a simple song
And to the world, a verdant sigh

An augury came in sheets of rain
The fields were blessed, or so the farmer claimed
As he watched the heavens pour, day by day
The cattle slaked, he bent his knee
And fields of green gave way to golden hay
And the farmer thanked his God with veracity

The pulchritude of passing days
The waning light, the sun's decay
Winter's snow concedes to spring again
Departing friends, they watch the other's train
And when the great oak's branches start to bend
Winter takes what autumn can't sustain

A forlorn sky, a canvas blank
The crows fly by like scattered paint
The old men in their coats shuffle past
They hold their hats against an angry wind
And when they reach their stoops they sit at last
Bound with ruth that none can comprehend

The sepulture of gathered leaves
And deep below, the planted seeds
Know that before long, their time will come
They hear the hum of rakes up on the soil
And long after we've said the day is done
The moonlight aides the seeds' endless toil