Wither, Burn and Peel

      © Ana Maria

        

        A leaf falls during a late storm

                from an oak tree just outside my window.

                I watch this leaf wither away,

                before it touches the ground.

                A journey to an alternate path

                of the previous one I traveled yesterday,

                the ever lasting walk, brings blisters

                to my feet, that will one day

               wither away.

                The hot scorching sun is burning

                like an ant with cruelty from

                a magnifier glass.

                Can't seem to find a shadow

                to hide from the rays

                of this raging fireball in the sky.

                I catch a glimpse of myself

                my reflection staring back at me            

                waving, melting and withering away.

                I peel open my eyes and I'm safe.

                In my bed, all the familiar surroundings

                grabs the corners of my mouth,

                pasting a smile on my face, but..

                When I look out the window

                I see a leaf fall.

                The orange sun coming up,

                striking the clouds with pink swirls.

                My feet begin to burn, looking down

                at the smoke that begins to rise

                feeling myself burn and wither away.

             -by Donald Armfield

Donald Armfield. When his minds decides to leak out words, they sometimes make interesting poems, stories, or whatever. He is a coffee fueled family man with a passion for reading and writing. He has been published by Rooster Republic, James Ward Kirk, Dynatox Ministries, and more to come.

Painting Courtesy: Ana Maria

Ana Maria was born in Lisbon in 1959. In 1982 she graduated in Philosophy from the University of Porto and started her teaching career as a philosophy teacher at a secondary school. Simultaneously, Ana started working as an artist in the different domains of Fine Arts. She has been taking part in several national and international collective exhibitions.