gathering

family table with leaves

for apples who fell

far from the tree

maple glow

haiku

glow of maple orange

even of the last few leaves

pierces misty fog

frugal, ingenious mama

wrangled gold, red, orange, even blue

from green, hard-working leaves

chemical plants that produce, as waste

what we vitally need to breathe

how frugal Mother Nature is

surplus from one of Her species

giving life to another

yet, as we inhale to gasp at her beauty

we ignore Her life-sustaining labor

long may She forgive us