The Feels of Autumn

I waited on the old oak bench quietly. The neem tree above me wasn’t green and lush today.It wasn’t fresh or lively, no pleasant, bright vibes as usual. A gentle breeze crossed the corner where I sat. I felt the crisp air over my cheeks, and smelt the peculiar smell of dead foliage. I heard ruffling above me and looked up, somehow waking from the sedative nature of this weather.

I saw no green today, instead I saw bright and dull colours interwoven with each other. The leaves were stale- they appeared parched, drooping from their slender and pale branches. It was as if this tree was drained from its youth. The rough crackles over me got louder and I felt some leaves drop down from the skinny branches that canopied over my head. I looked into my lap and saw two leaves laying there. Dead, half eaten by beetles and vermin- corpses. One of them was in an amber tone, and had some green in it left. Its veins looked like they still had some life in them, but it fell off anyway. The other was brown- almost copper in colour. It attracted me more somehow. I gently held the fragile leaf between my fingertips, but it crumbled down. I held it in the most merciful way I could- but it still turned to dust and ashes over my blue kurta.

Transition- it’s a phase all living beings go through. Parts of us will wither and fall away, because there time was done and they couldn’t bear more-  like the darker, orange and copper leaves of neem. Other parts of us turn lifeless while there may still shine a smaller ray of hope- just like the little green that was left in that yellow leaf. Yet, to transition into the next beautiful season, it must too, shed off.

But you know what remains? The strong, sturdy bark from which those lanky branches sprout out of- your ability to grow. The deep seated roots that stretch meters wide in search of water from the soil, unseen and hidden- your heart and soul. Yearning for more, yearning for transition into prosperity.

This is a slightly different version from my official entry "The Feels of Autumn" for a contest held by The Bloggers Spotlight (IG: @thebloggerspotlight._) You can check out the original post on Instagram here.