Autumn steals

Autumn steals the senses,
a crisp-gripping brightness
in the playground of leaves.
Trees loft light-show
of dying greens,
transparent yellows,
and polishings of bronze.
Impatient, tomorrow waits,
its cloak of unshading empty branches
a chilling call to winter,
fleeting days, dragging nights.
A dried leaf shuffle scoots on infrequent breezes.
Birds gossip, gathering on platform limbs
waiting for their flight to be called.
The ghost of Summer smiles
in its new apparel
a golden expression
enjoying the temporary calm.
Menace understates an insinuation of Winter.