Feeling Fall

They took the baseball fences down
again.
Now whistles blow
for flag football games
instead.

Reds, oranges, greens, and yellows
are sliding down the mountain...
Snow sits on the top.

I pull my favorite sweater down
from the highest closet shelf.
I dig out our denim wedding quilt
from the basement chest.

We pick up leaves to school
and back,
adding to our collection,
crunching as we go.

They stuff acorns into pockets,
like little heads with little hats,
they say.
They'll draw on faces when we get home

where I'll bake pumpkin bread and pumpkin cookies
and think about my mom...

We lug the Halloween box out,
another reminder
of how much they've grown
since last year's costume parades.

I take a quick glance
back at summer days,
but it's dark
already
and I put some lotion on my hands
again.