The Single Leaf

I saw a leaf, a single leaf,
Spin past the silent dale
And land upon the quiet chest
Of autumn's golden rail,
A single leaf, which heaven brought
To drift upon the shroud
Encased in other bits of rag
We call the copper cloud:
How sad it felt to view it there
Amongst the reds and rogue:
While summer moaned through fragrant woods
And threads of snowy blue---
How sorrowful my sunlit heart
In trepidation grew
To see the leaf go drifting down
Within the autumn's rue.