what i notice while walking in the late autumn woods – a poem

what i notice while walking in the late autumn woods

beneath my feet, the crunch of withered leaves
above, the sway of oaks in their thinning yellow dresses
the tree trunks with their insect tracks exposed,
connect the earth and sky

the verdant green fades;
the black of earth compost thickens

listen:
an occasional bird
a squirrel rustling
a falling leaf

here are two effigy mounds
built a thousand years ago:
a long-tailed water serpent —
guardian of the underworld
and a bird — representing
the upper world sky realm

here is a spring
half covered with autumn’s detritus
still bubbling clean
a thin place
underworld portal

autumn’s thinning
hallow’s eve
connections to the Otherworld