‘Men argue’, said Voltaire, ‘Nature acts’

THE YELLOW LEAF ON THE ASPHALT

Dahlia Tera

It struggled a lot in the last months
To become a small leaf, like a fragile butterfly,
In tender green;
Then to grow and attach firmly to the branch
In beautiful shiny deep green,
With its perfect serrated outline
And the threads of its veins.

It withstood the still cool breeze of spring
And the vigorous force of summer storms.
It ate the rays of the sun and the light,
Returning them to the living beings for life.
He saw the flowers blossom and heard the birds sing.

Later, instead of the shade, it gave,
They preferred the fruits to be picked.
But it still harbored small insects:
Ladybugs, butterflies, ants and bees.
I drank the dew,
Sometimes disappeared into the fog.

One day, it started to change color,
Its deep green rips turned brown and orange,
Its skin became yellow.

A cold wind came down from the mountain
And the leaf began to tremble on the branch.
It clung tightly but, in the end, had to let go
Until it had to fall after spinning for a few seconds.

The yellow leaf found itself on the asphalt of the street
Sad fate….. a car even passed it over..
But it knew that, back to dust,
It would enrich the soil for new leaves….
Great nature is always alive and moving.

“Men argue – said Voltaire – Nature acts.”
Yes, there is something infinitely healing
In the repeated refrains of nature:
The assurance that dawn comes after night.
SPRING AFTER WINTER!