A YELLOW LEAF
A yellow leaf in the branches
Of a shamel ash
In the front yard;
I see it, a yellow leaf
Among so many.
Nothing distinguishes it,
Nothing striking, striped, stripped,
Strident, nothing
More than its yellow
On this day,
Which is enough, which makes me
Think of it later in the day,
Remember it in conversation
With a friend,
Though I do not mention it--
A yellow leaf on a shamel ash
On a clear day
In an Arizona winter,
A January like so many.
— Alberto Rios
from The Smallest Muscle in the Human Body,
Copper Canyon Press, 2002
It creates a feeling of wonder
that so much beauty should be
apparently created
for such little purpose.
~ Charles Darwin
Poetry Garden
