The Fall

The Fall

How it happened
I haven’t a clue…

A crisp, clear morning dawned.
The forest was filled with sound.
Birds sang beside
leaves clapping their hands.

I heard the sound of my bicycle’s wheels
as they kicked up stones.
This was a ride I enjoyed so many
times.  I knew
each curve in the path
even with my eyes closed.

Suddenly, I was airborne.
 I remember my shoulder
‘touching’ the ground—
HARD.

Everything went black.
I do not know how long I was out
before I heard my name
called aloud.

Quiet now.
I was in search of my breath
and, when it came, I found
my glasses and was drawn
to the voice calling
my name.

My limbs
I knew broken, fractured.
I managed to walk my bike
home—the fall produced a new ride.

My flesh, in different
areas of my body began
changing colors—
deep purples, jaded greens
soft yellows.

I moved slowly but
I moved.  Sometimes
I cried but the tears
were that of ‘thanks.’

Earth padded my fall…
How so many things that
could have been 
brought me into this 
changing season
gifting my own being
with a deliberate
physical change.

Much unknown—
there are blanks left
never to be filled in.
A sort of dying has taken place while I breathe
—life sweeping away what no longer
seems to matter.

Another season
will approach.
For now, I AM living
The Fall.