Falling Memories

As leaves fall
so memories tumble into consciousness
A yellowed leaf falls
a time as an inconsiderate child
A red leaf falls
a time in selfish high school
A greenish leaf falls
an adult unable to see another's life

But these memories are not like the leaves
The tree feels the snows and ice approach
knows it cannot afford the showy leaves
It starves them, denying them life
slowly pinching
until the leaf falls away
But the tree remains; branch, trunk and root

These memories come to torment
I am the ground which accepts the leaves
pulls them slowly into myself
They won't leave, drop away
They are a part of what makes me
Instead I will relive them next year
and the next
when the leaves fall
And the ground remembers
the years' reproaching colors
Echoes of embarrassment and failure
are as strong as the shout