Braced for the chill

I love autumn. Don’t you? I’d rather see leaves turning colors, light slipping out of the skies earlier and earlier each evening than any other sign of any season you have to offer. I want more clouds, more fog, more drizzle, more darkness. Lengthen the shadows, lower the temperatures, let the birds head south in flocks and packs. Cover the tree trunks with moss, fill the creeks with runoff from overnight storms. Give me layers of sweaters and shirts and hats and scarves to wear, jeans and belts from my hips to the tops of my boots. And then take my picture at the exact moment when I’m reasonably satisfied with all of this.